OCEAN CITY — The Career Firefighter/Paramedics Association of Ocean City, or Local IAFF 4269, has launched a drive to provide brand-new winter coats to dozens of children in need in the resort area and across Worcester County in partnership with Operation Warm.
For four years now, the IAFF 4269 has partnered with Operation Warm, a national non-profit dedicated to warming the hearts, minds and bodies of children in need in the community. With the calendar turning over to November next week and fall temperatures now dipping into the where they typically are this time of year, the need for winter coats for children in need in the area is growing more acute.
For the first four years of the program, the IAFF 4269 has partnered with Ocean City Elementary School to connect kids in need with coats from the Operation Warm program, but IAFF 4269 President Ryan Whittington said the need for new winter coats for school kids in the area goes well beyond the OCES campus.
“We have been providing coats to children in Worcester County for over four years now and realize that there is still a need right here in the community we serve,” he said. “By nature of our service to the community, we step up and do what we can to help those we serve, not just in an emergency, but in our everyday actions.”
Through the generous donations from the community, the IAFF 4269 purchases the new coats for area students through the Operation Warm program. Each donation of $34 will provide a child in need with a brand-new American-made winter coat. The coats are custom-fitted with a tag inside saying “Made Just for You,” along with the child’s name.
Whittington said Operation Warm initiative differs from traditional winter coat drives during which coats are donated in that each student gets a coat made just for them and not a hand-me-down. In that way, each child in need in the program gets a coat similar to his classmates.
“The goal of our firefighters participating in Operation Warm is to provide brand-new winter coats to children in need, helping to improve self-confidence, peer acceptance, school attendance and overall wellness,” he said.
Ocean City firefighters are asking the community to donate to the important cause. Donations can be made by visiting www.operationwarm.org.oceancity. Checks can also be mailed to Ocean City Operation Warm, P.O. Box 3217, Ocean City, Md., 21843.
