“Knowing that you're making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children, or even just one child, is a great feeling,” said Altus Fire Chief J.R. Wheeler. “We work hard each year to raise money to buy new coats. We want the children to walk away feeling special because they have a new coat that belongs only to them. To see the children beam with pride of ownership gives us all the reinforcement we need to keep up the effort each and every year.”

Now in its ninth year, Coats for Kids is an annual community project that collects and distributes warm winter coats to eligible children and teenagers in Southwest Oklahoma.

Each year the Altus Fire Department organizes and facilitates the details of Coats for Kids in an effort to bring the community together to ensure that the children of Jackson County stay warm.With the help of Altus Laundry and Cleaners, over 400 good used coats are cleaned and prepared each year for anyone in need.

With the help of local businesses and community, donations are received each year to purchase more than 250 new coats to be placed under the Christmas tree by those parents that qualify.

The distribution of all of this is accomplished with the help of Salvation Army, seeing that each and every coat goes to those in need. To date over 3,800 coats have been distributed in Jackson County.

“It is the goal of the Altus Fire Department to see that each and every child has what he or she needs to be warm in Southwest Oklahoma,” Wheeler said.