Imagine living in McHenry County and not having a coat to wear all winter. Now imagine this being your circumstance and you being a child. Every day you would feel the absence of a coat. You might have to miss recesses at school or you might have to face the embarrassment of wearing a borrowed, used coat from the school closet. With the many days of very low temperatures, you may find yourself getting sick and missing school all together. On slightly warmer snow days, you would not have the opportunity to go outside and build a snowman. Not having a winter coat creates physical, social, and emotional hardships for children and breaks the hearts of struggling parents.

The number of families facing economic hardship has steadily increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, there are companies and caring individuals who take the initiative to help. For the third year in a row, Castle Subaru, Operation Warm, and the United Way of Greater McHenry County teamed up to supply 300 children throughout McHenry County with a new winter coat.

Children in Harvard District 50, Riley District 18 in Marengo, and in the Community Action Agency Head Start program throughout McHenry County were the happy recipients of their very own brand new coat. Operation Warm produces the coats and supplies them at the lowest costs possible. Castle Subaru donated the funds to pay for the coats, and United Way of Greater McHenry County coordinated the placement of the coats with children who needed them. The coats come in various colors and sizes, enabling children to pick a coat that really suits them and that they can feel great wearing.

• Castle Subaru McHenry on Route 31 or www.castlesubarumchenry.com
• United Way of Greater McHenry County: www.uwmchenry.org
• Operation Warm: https://operationwarm.org

For more information about the Coats program or the services offered by these three terrific organizations, please contact:

United Way of McHenry County

4508 Prime Parkway

McHenry, IL 60050

Ph: 815-363-1377

www.uwmchenry.org