Letter: Operation Warm celebrates 10 years

“A new coat for every child who needs one… in Delaware County there are 19,000.”

“It isn’t magic, it only takes your donation of $20 to Operation Warm, and a child will get a coat! What a wonderful gift to provide, when perhaps he has never had something all his own or even something new for that matter. ‘I didn’t believe how much I was affected by seeing a child pick out a coat, try it on, zip it up and ask if she could keep it forever,’ said Louise DeFeo, while volunteering at a party for Head Start toddlers at Riddle Hospital. Among the volunteers were employees from Riddle who annually help with the event, looking forward to the joyful chaos that ensues and the memories of hugs and smiles. ‘How can we not do this? Simply giving a new coat to a child is such a special thing to do, with profound outcomes for not only the child but all of us,’ shared Rosemary Mignogna, a Riddle employee of 25 years.”

“The Operation Warm Delco Campaign celebrates its 10th year of partnerships with county businesses, social service agencies, schools and colleges, congregations, retirement communities and government organizations. From the first year Wawa has hosted the annual breakfast of community partners and kicks the campaign off with an extremely generous donation and since then, more than $400,000 has been raised to provide for at least 25,000 children who live in our neighborhoods, go to school with our children and attend our churches.”

Read the rest of this letter that notes employees at Riddle Hospital and across Main Line Health love the program and are solid contributors to the effort, raising money and supporting events at the Delaware County Daily Times.