Even as we await the official start of the summer, preparations are already happening to assist students during the next cold weather season.
From July 8-12, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln will participate in Operation Warmth, a winter coat drive. The project goal is to collect 50 new or gently-used coats and jackets.
Adult sizes — with high demand for sizes medium, large, and x-large — are being collected. Items must be clean, well-maintained, and in excellent condition. Everyone is encouraged to donate.
Starting in early September, the coats will be available free-of-charge to Husker students in need through several campus partners.
Although it may seem odd to collect the coats and jackets in the peak of summer, it makes logical sense to the staffs of Big Red Resilience and Well-being, and Gender and Sexuality Center, who each respectively operate the Husker Pantry and the Lavender Closet and are the organizers for Operation Warmth.
“Our aim is to be proactively prepared to assist students when the need presents itself — not reactionary,” says JD McCown, assistant director of the Gender and Sexuality Center. “Since cooler temperatures and weather may appear as early as mid to late September, it catches individuals off-guard, especially students newly arrived in Nebraska and the Midwest.”
The dates of the coat drive allow time for the organizers to catalog the donations and subsequently make additional plans to address any inventory gaps.
“Due to storage constraints, 50 coats (or maybe a few more) is all we will be able to manage,” McCown said. “Individuals and groups shouldn’t seek to bring in massive quantities of coats and jackets. We prefer that people pool their resources and efforts with others and bring in a select one or two items that will have a real impact on the life of a student and keep them warm in the winter.”
Learn more about and how to donate to Operation Warmth.
