FedEx Teams Up with Nonprofit Operation Warm to Provide 5,000 New Coats To Children in Need Throughout the U.S.
CHICAGO (PRWEB) November 15, 2017 -- Nearly one in five children in the United States live in families with incomes below the federal poverty line. Necessities like warm winter clothing can be hard to come by when food, shelter, heat and medicine take priority
Throughout November and December, FedEx will provide nearly 5,000 winter coats to children in need in ten cities across the country with the help of Operation Warm, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing brand new winter coats to children in need.
Operation Warm believes providing a brand new winter coat to a child in need can be ‘more than a coat.’ Children living in poverty are accustomed to receiving second-hand clothing. By providing a new coat, especially around the holidays, you not only provide a child warmth, but a boost in joy and self-esteem.
The relationship between FedEx and Operation Warm began in 2006 when Brett Buckhold, a marketing principal at FedEx Services who designed supply chains for large customers at the time, received a phone call. His co-worker in international sales asked if he could use his skillset to help Operation Warm save money on their operations and logistics.
Although Brett wasn’t familiar with Operation Warm at the time, he agreed to help and noticed an opportunity to save the organization a substantial amount of money. Operation Warm began coordinating with local agencies and schools for local pick up at FedEx facilities around the country. As a result of the financial savings from the new supply chain design, Operation Warm was able to order an additional 20,000 coats per year.
After improving Operation Warm’s supply chain design, Brett was invited to attend a coat distribution event for a more hands-on experience, which would inspire him to continue working with and supporting the organization. “I remember writing a child’s name in his new jacket,” Brett said. “He looked at me and had the biggest smile on his face. It was pretty powerful.”
FedEx debuted its 2017 Operation Warm campaign on Monday, November 2, by providing nearly 500 new winter coats to children in need at Dixon Elementary School in Chicago. Over the next several weeks, FedEx Cares volunteers and Operation Warm staff members, will visit low-income schools armed with thousands of coats. This year’s collaboration will be the largest between the two organizations, providing coats to children in Chicago, Denver, Akron, Memphis, Seattle, Houston, Detroit, Mississippi, Toronto and Washington, D.C.
“No child should have to brave cold temperatures without a winter coat,” said Neil Gibson, vice president Corporate Communications, FedEx Services. “We are proud to provide these children with warmth as well as a boost in self-esteem as part of our FedEx Cares program, through which the company will invest $200 million in more than 200 communities by 2020 to create opportunities and deliver positive change around the world.”
FedEx Cares volunteers and Operation Warm staff will visit each school to personally fit each child with a new coat in their favorite color and help them write their name in the interior tag which reads, “Made Just for You.”
“2017 marks the 11th consecutive year FedEx has provided their resources, time and talent to Operation Warm and the children we serve. Their committed support to our communities makes FedEx one of the most loyal champions of corporate social responsibility,” says Dick Sanford, Operation Warm Founder and CEO “This year, our collaboration will reach more children, more families and more communities than ever before, including children affected by the hurricanes in Houston and Puerto Rico. We are extremely grateful for FedEx’s commitment to help children in need."
Media is welcome to attend all events. Please inquire for details.
About Operation Warm: Since 1998, Operation Warm has inspired hope and empowered communities by manufacturing and distributing high-quality, new winter coats to over 2 million children in need throughout the US. The nonprofit works with organizations at a community-level, assisting local advocates to help children receive coats in their own backyard. Operation Warm’s vision is that every child wearing a new winter coat is warm, feels valued, and is empowered to get to school and gain an education. To learn more or start your own community coat program, visit http://www.operationwarm.org.
Lauren Holloway, Operation Warm, http://operationwarm.org, +1 (610) 388-2500 Ext: 136, [email protected]
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