Concord Kids Get Operation Warm Coats

This is the first year that Concord Firefighters along with the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire have participated in the Operation Warm initiative, a national effort to get winter coats to children who are living in poverty.

One could say that their efforts were a snuggly success.

With the help of Cheers Restaurant on Depot Street, which assisted with a fundraiser in October, more than 150 kids in the city now have toasty, warm winter coats.

The coats, made by American workers in Pennsylvania, were handed out to children on Saturday by the firefighters, who reached out to organizations in the area to find kids who needed the coats. Manufacturing the coats provides more than 200 jobs at the factory where they were made, according to the PFFNH.

At first, some of the organizations were a little hesitant to participate, due to the fact that firefighters needed to know the child’s name and coat size they would need, in order to have them ordered ahead of time. But after reaching out to a number of organizations, 152 kids were found in need of coats.

Union officials say that next year, the effort would start earlier and reach out to more organizations to ensure that every kid who needs a coat in the capital region gets one.

Statewide, the PFFNH hoped to get more than 4,000 coats to kids in need.