Kennett Square nonprofit Operation Warm, along with Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, is helping keep children warm this winter by providing 143 brand new children’s winter coats to Square One in Springfield, Mass., according to a staff report for BusinessWest.com.

Founded in 1998, Operation Warm distributes winter coats to kids in need. Founder Dick Sanford came up with the idea when he was driving on a cold winter morning, and saw a group of coatless children struggling to stay warm at a bus stop.

Since then, the organization has distributed more than two million coats to underprivileged kids.

Operation Warm expanded across the country in 2012, when it partnered with the International Association of Firefighters as Firefighters for Operation Warm. This additional partnership with Columbia Gas helped provide the donation to Square One in Springfield.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Operation Warm and Columbia Gas to provide new USA-made coats to area children,” said Jay Colbert, president of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts. “We’ve seen how something as simple as a warm coat can help a child stay warm, healthy, safe, and excel in all they do.”

Read more about Operation Warm at BusinessWest.com here.