The Issue: Children Living in Poverty Without Winter Coats

In 2012, more than one in five children—or about 16.4 million children—were living in poverty in the United States, according to data from Kids Count. In order to afford basic necessities, many of these low-income households may be forced to forego purchasing new winter coats for growing children. This, in turn, may cause children to miss school on cold days or risk their health by attending school without a coat. Providing coats for these children will give them a way to make it to school during cold winters without risking illness.

The Campaign: Distributing Winter Coats to Kids in Need

All donations to this Grassroots campaign will be used by Operation Warm to distribute new winter coats to children from low-income families. For every $10 this Grassroots campaign raises, combined with matching donations up to $15,000 from International Delight, Operation Warm can purchase and distribute a winter coat to one child in need. Operation Warm works directly with manufacturers to obtain quality new coats at the lowest cost possible. The coats are then distributed during fall events in low-income housing areas and community centers. Donors to this campaign can specify to which state they would like to provide a donated coat on Operation Warm's website.