GIVE A KID A COAT!About Us
Operation Warm and our Coats for Kids Foundation have a very focused mission: We provide new winter coats to children living in need. Our vision is that every child wearing a new winter coat is warm, feels valued and is healthy, able to regularly attend school and enjoy active outdoor play, even on cold winter days.
It is through the creative and thoughtful ideas of many of our supporters that Operation Warm has been able to expand its reach throughout the country and raise the money needed to supply these coats. In February 2012, we handed out our one millionth coat!
We truly believe that every child deserves a new winter coat to keep them warm during cold weather. While efforts of like-minded organizations to supply children with “gently used” garments are to be applauded, Operation Warm sees firsthand that having a new, quality coat enhances a child’s wellbeing, builds self-esteem, and fosters a feeling of worth for children living in poverty.
Since our beginning in 1998 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Dick Sanford, we have served One Million children living in poverty across the US. To ensure our coats find homes with children who need them most, we partner with a wide range of foundations, community organizations, corporations, colleges and universities, and of course individual supporters. To provide the highest quality coats at the best possible cost, Operation Warm works directly with manufacturers, who produce coats for us to our specifications.
OUR CORE VALUES
- Operation Warm is committed to excellence by providing quality new coats to children in need, thus inspiring hope in a dignified way.
- Through teamwork and collaboration, Operation Warm is committed to leveraging our partnerships to increase impact and foster positive social change.
- Operation Warm is committed to leadership through service and stewardship, by demonstrating an innovative approach and passionate spirit.
In these tough economic times words cannot express the impact that Operation Warm had on the families of our programs. Seeing the appreciation on the faces of parents and children shows the need for these services. We are glad to have been a part of this wonderful experience and hope that with Operation Warm we are able to keep our families warm for years to come.
~ Marcelo Juica
Latino After-School Initiative's
Executive Director