Twin Cities Firefighters Raising Money To Give Kids Winter Coats

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Because of the work of some Twin Cities firefighters, some lucky kids around the Twin Cities metro won't be cold this winter.

As part of Operation Warm, firefighters are outfitting about 2,000 kids with new winter coats on Friday. Dayton's Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School in St. Paul and Anderson United Community School in Minneapolis are taking part.

Firefighters are raising money in order to personally fit each child with a coat, select their favorite color and write their name in the interior tag of the coat. In addition to staying warm, firefighters are hoping new coats for kids will empower them to attend school on a regular basis and have strong self-esteem.

"It's nice to help people when you're not called to an emergency situation," one firefighter said, "to be able to help these kids when it's calm, relatively."

Operation Warm was launched last year, when 500 new coats were given out to children from low-income families in Minnesota.

If you're interested in donating, click here for more information.