The DeKalb Fire Department opened its doors Saturday morning to families from DeKalb School District 428 in need of winter supplies for their children. The event was held in conjunction with the national nonprofit organization Operation Warm.
Operation Warm’s mission is to provide ‘warmth, confidence, and hope to children in need through the gift of brand new winter coats.’ The organization works with communities all over the U.S., and has distributed more than 3 million winter coats since its beginnings in 1998.
DeKalb firefightere union President Noah Millard said that the DeKalb firehouse has been an Operation Warm partner for five years. Working with the DeKalb Classroom Teachers’ Association, Thrivent Financial, the Knights of Columbus and Jason Fowler of Compass Mortgage, the firehouse has distributed about 750 coats to District 428 children as of 2019.