Firefighters donate winter coats to kids at Tumwater Hill Elementary School

Tumwater firefighters delivered nearly 250 new winter coats to children Monday as part of a national effort called Operation Warm.

The coats went to Tumwater Hill Elementary School, where nearly 40 percent of its 460 students qualify for free or reduced price lunches, said Brian Duke, principal.

“We have some families that are struggling,” said Duke, who praised the positive interaction between the kids and more than a dozen firefighters who attended Monday. “It’s just a great deal.”

Each year, Firefighters Local 2409 picks a local school with a high percentage of low-income students. In 2013, firefighters provided nearly 200 coats to students at Peter G. Schmidt Elementary School in Tumwater.

For some low-income families, the choice often comes down to buying a coat or buying food. The firefighters want to help bridge that gap, especially as the weather gets colder, said Lt. Donovan Cathey, union president.

At Tumwater Hill, the coats went to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 50 coats leftover, Cathey said.

“In the winter, coats are pretty important here,” said Cathey, noting that the extra coats will go to other Tumwater students in need. “If any kids want a coat, we know someone will get it.”

The union raised about $10,600 for this year’s effort through donations as well as a silent auction event held in October. One of those donors is Jim Holt, owner of J&N Concrete, who showed up Monday morning to distribute coats. As a father of five children, Holt said the Operation Warm project tugged at his heartstrings a bit.

“It reminds us how good we have it,” he said.

To receive a coat, children fill out a permission slip. The coats are valued at $34 each and are made in the U.S. by union workers. Although cheaper coats are available for purchase, Capt. Brad Ridgeway said these American-made coats benefit the economy as well as low-income children.

“The workers make enough to feed their families,” Ridgeway said Monday. “We’re helping people and commerce.”

This story was originally published November 24, 2014 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Firefighters donate winter coats to kids at Tumwater Hill Elementary School."