Godwin Heights — Before entering the North Godwin Elementary gym, fifth-grader Rorran Richardson said he hoped to find a new jacket in orange, red or yellow. But when it was his turn, he passed over an orange jacket and chose a black-and-teal coat instead.
“I like the color black and so do my parents,” Rorran said as he looked over his new coat. “I also like the color of green. It is the color of grass and the leaves.”
The coat was provided by Operation Warm, a national nonprofit that supplies new coats and shoes to kindergarten through fifth-grade students in Title I school districts. The organization has served more than 7 million children nationwide during the past 26 years.
Carolina Diaz, the Kent School Services Network coordinator for North Godwin, said Operation Warm connected with her about providing coats to students.
“When kids’ basic needs are met, they don’t have to worry about those things and are able to focus on school instead of worrying about going outside without a coat for things like recess,” Diaz said. “A coat for them can help make them feel well cared for and builds a positive experience in the classroom.”
Operation Warm provided coats in a range of sizes, organized by size on tables in the gym.
Each student was paired with a volunteer, who asked students about their favorite colors and estimated their sizes, checking fit by having students cross and raise their arms. Once a coat fit properly, the student’s name was placed inside, and students were invited to sign a thank-you poster.
Third-grader Zenovia Miles entered the room hoping to find a pink coat — and did.
“I like the shade of pink,” said Zenovia, whose coat was bright pink with light blue, pink and purple stripes.
Then, once everyone had a coat, she joined her classmates in shouting “thank you” to the Operation Warm team and volunteers.
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