Hundreds Of Kids Receive Winter Coats On Halloween

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (WCCO) -- Tuesday marks the coldest Halloween since 2006, so trick-or-treaters will need to bundle up.

It's only going to get colder throughout the winter months, which is why Minneapolis firefighters are making sure kids stay safe and warm.

On Tuesday morning, hundreds of students at Andersen United Community School were fitted with brand-new coats.

All throughout the year, Minneapolis firefighters raise money to buy them for schools throughout the metro. It's a part of as the Operation Warm Coats for Kids program, which the department has supported for about five years.

Nearly all students the students who go to Andersen United live in poverty, and have never had a brand-new coat before.

"More often than not, we are in these children's homes at less than perfect circumstances and they are not so much participants, but bystanders to some tragic events. So it's really nice on our time off to get into these homes and see some smiles," said Mark Lakosky, the president of Minneapolis Fire Local 82.

CenterPoint Energy also teams up with the Firefighters Association to help support the program.

Their volunteers helped hand out coats along with firefighters.