Cold Weather Is Here ...
... in Stafford County, Operation Warm is helping 1,700 students get ready.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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When the weather turns cold, there’s no substitute for a warm coat. Unfortunately, too many children across the country — as many as 2-in-5 according to NonProfit Quarterly — lack that most basic of necessities.
In Stafford County, the school system has this year identified some 1,700 children who lack a warm coat. That gap is being filled this week by Operation Warm, which is delivering coats to children across the district’s schools.
A joint partnership between Stafford County Public Schools and Stafford County Fire and Rescue, Operation Warm has been distributing coats since 2008.
Mark Doyle of Mountain View Fire and Rescue was there at the beginning. “Fairfax had started a program,” he told the Advance, and in 2008 “they brought us 30 coats to distribute, and we took them to Head Start.” From there, things grew rapidly.
This year, the school system and Stafford County Fire and Rescue will distribute 1,700 coats to children identified by school counselors.
Fire Chief Joseph Cardello has been in his position for seven years and says that the department has a “fantastic partnership with the schools,” and that this particular drive is the “big one” that the two work on each year.
The coats are purchased through Operation Warm, a national nonprofit that “manufactures brand-new, high-quality coats and shoes for children in need.” The tab for this year’s project was $42,500.
To cover that bill, Operation Warm in Stafford receives support from Ebenezer United Methodist Church, local firefighters, and a local company — Critical Management Solutions, which this year made a significant contribution to the cause.
Madison Randall of CMS was at the Mountain View Fire Station this morning helping to box coats for delivery. Her father owns CMS, and she said that the company “loves helping the community.”
In addition to helping with Operation Warm, CMS also works to reach out to students and discussions that career options after high school.
The company hires people to work on constructing data centers, according to Randall, whose mother, Susan Randall, sits on the School Board.
While this year’s coats have been paid for, next winter is a year away, and the fire station accepts donations year-round.
To support this effort, people can make an online donation, or send a check to Mountain View Fire and Safety INC with “Coats for Kids” in the memo line at PO Box 2528 Stafford Va 22555.
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