Fort Wayne Fire Department delivers winter coats to children in need

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) The Fort Wayne Fire Department spent two weeks helping with the Volunteer Center RSVP' s annual coat drive. The drive strives to provide winter wear to community members in need, many of them children.

More than 3,000 coats were needed to help all the people identified by Volunteer Center RSVP as in need.

Fort Wayne Firefighters started an effort within their firehouses to help get warm coats onto those that need it. They called the effort 'Operation No One Gets Cold' and asked all members of the department to donate new or gently used winter clothing. 

On Tuesday, the Fire Department delivered about 500 winter coats, hats and mittens to the collection warehouse for sorting and fulfilling orders.

On Wednesday, firefighters delivered more than 40 coats to children at Martin Luther King Montessori School .

Organizer and firefighter Doug Call said, "While this is a different kind of emergency than those we typically respond to, we heard 3,000 community members need a little help.   Not only could we help Volunteer Center RSVP reach their order goal, the men and women of our department saw it as an opportunity to give something back to the community by providing warmth this winter season."