SALT LAKE CITY — Only six of Katelyn Vance's 21 second-grade students arrived to school Wednesday morning with "good winter coats," she said, but all of them went home with one after a visit from local firefighters.
The group Professional Firefighters of Utah teams up each year with the national nonprofit organization Operation Warm to provide coats for impoverished children. This year, firefighters chose Backman Elementary School as the recipient of the giveaway, Salt Lake Fire Capt. Tony Allred said.
Eighty-nine percent of the school's second- and third-graders qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, Allred said, and the majority of Backman students walk to school instead of taking a bus, further exposing them to the cold weather.
Prior to the distribution, students were measured for coat size, and each coat was labeled with the name of its intended owner, Vance said. Each of the 172 students sat cross-legged on the ground in the school hall, waiting for a firefighter to call his or her name.
A firefighter helped Dayana Torres, 7, put on her new bright purple coat. Then he wrote her name on the inside tag with permanent marker.
"I am happy because I have a fuzzy coat that is warm inside," Dayana said. "I'm going to maybe wear it on Christmas."
Sofia Guzman, 7, said she was "excited" and "eager" to build a snowman and play with friends in her new coat. Before firefighters gave Sofia a coat, her family didn't have a jacket for her to wear, she said.
"We tried to find a jacket that I have at home, but I was growing up, and I need a new coat because I was too big for the other coats, and I couldn't fit," Sofia said.
Vance said many of her students wear clothes that primarily are hand-me-downs, so having something new of their own helps builds their self-esteem.
"Miss Vance, I'm going to wear this tomorrow," one student said while smiling and pointing to his orange coat.
"I can't believe this is mine forever," another said.
Second-grade teacher Miriam Guzman said she believes her students will attend school more regularly now that they have new coats. It will also allow the children to enjoy outdoor recess.
At $36 dollars each, Allred said the coats are a "small investment for a big impact."
Donations from community members and businesses, such Utah Business Insurance Co. and Alpine Cleaning, along with a fundraiser at The Poplar Street Pub, helped make the coat giveaway possible, Allred said.
If donations continue to trickle in, the Salt Lake City Fire Department and the International Association of Firefighters Local 81 will do another giveaway this winter, he said.
Allred encourages those interested in donating to visit the project's GoFundMe page or www.slcfire.com for more information.
Email: vjorgensen@deseretnews.com
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