MISSION — Layered in piles on the tops of tables throughout the commons area at Nixyáawii Community School (NCS), coats, socks, shoes and backpacks lay in wait for students in need.
On Sept. 28, NCS hosted a giveaway in collaboration with Marathon Oil, the Wildhorse Foundation, Operation Warm, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s (CTUIR) Workforce Development Department, the Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) and Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
The Operation Warm event, which was funded by Marathon Pipeline in partnership with CTUIR TERO, ensures children from kindergarten to seventh grade are provided with high-quality, new coats to keep them warm through the winter. Though descendants and tribal students were prioritized, coats were provided to all children who attended on a first-come first-serve basis.
Operation Warm is a national nonprofit founded in 1998 to provide warmth, confidence and hope to children in under-resourced communities, according to Partnerships Manager Zenia Fillmore.
“It gives kids the opportunity to have something that’s brand-new and that’s specifically for them,” she said.
The 440 coats made by Operation Warm were bought by Marathon Pipeline, as well as a donation from the Wildhorse Foundation to provide the shoes that were also included in the giveaway event.
“I know a lot of times with families, sometimes they just have to have hand-me-downs that go to younger kids, so it really gives them the opportunity to have something brand-new that’s made just for them,” Fillmore said. “ It also gives them that shopping experience, to be able to come through and pick out whatever color coat they like, whatever pattern they like.”
The coats are machine-washable, high-quality, long-lasting, kid-approved and come in various colors and styles. The coats have water-resistent shells, fleece linings, deep pockets and hoods and come in sizes ranging from 2T to 18 for smaller children and S to XXL for older children.
“It also just eases the burden for families as well, to not have to go out and be able to purchase a brand-new coat,” Fillmore said. “They can come, and have something that’s free and use that money to spend toward whatever else they might need — food, bills and things like that.”
Fillmore said Operation Warm has a wish list for any organizations or schools requesting any number of coats or shoes needed, to make a request, they need to go to operationwarm.org and request resources. If selected off the list, Fillmore said the nonprofit will reach out and the coats and shoes will be shipped directly to the school or organization.
