High School Students Help Distribute Over 1600 Coats to Needy Children
Wilmington, DE – On Monday, December 17th, the Delaware chapter of HOSA, Future Health Professionals, joined forces with Operation Warm to help distribute 1,626 coats to children in need in New Castle County. HOSA State Officers and Delcastle high school students helped organize and distribute boxes at the Sharp Conference Center at the Marshallton Education Building. Staff from Twenty-one elementary schools and the YMCA of Wilmington picked up brand new winter coats from Operation Warm at the event to distribute to children in need across New Castle County.
HOSA is a national student organization that provides a unique program of leadership development, motivation, and recognition exclusively for secondary, postsecondary, collegiate and adult students enrolled in health science education. The Delaware high school chapter of HOSA started in 2011 and has been working with Operation Warm almost since its inception in Delaware. “We wanted to engage our students and leaders with opportunities for service, and Operation Warm was a great fit,” said the Delaware State Advisor for HOSA, Peg Enslen.
Operation Warm serves children in need across the United States. In 2012, Operation Warm will serve approximately 200,000 children living in poverty. Nationally, 16.4 million children live in poverty in the United States. In Delaware, 37,000 children live in poverty, with the highest concentration in the Wilmington area of New Castle County.
“This is a program that strengthens communities and the overall well-being of children” stated, Paul Daigle, Director of Development Initiatives at Operation Warm. “A new coat allows families to stretch limited financial resources to other basic necessities, such as food and shelter.”
About Operation Warm Inc.:Operation Warm Inc. is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of new winter coats to children in need. Our vision is that every child wearing a new winter coat is healthy, able to attend school regularly and develop a strong self-esteem. Operation Warm has distributed coats in 37 states. In February 2012, we served our MILLIONTH child – a momentous milestone. For more information about Operation Warm visit www.operationwarm.org.
