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West Valley City Journal

West Valley Firefighters hand out coats to Farnsworth Elementary students

Feb 24, 2020 03:33PM ● By Travis Barton

Some students were walking to school this winter without coats, so West Valley City Firefighters handed out about 30 coats in January. (Screenshot via West Valley City)

By Travis Barton | [email protected]

Some students at Philo T. Farnsworth Elementary school were walking to school this winter with no coats. 

The West Valley Fire Department wanted to change that. 

Firefighters visited the school on Jan. 30 to hand out about 30 coats to kids in need. The coats were provided by the West Valley Professional Firefighters group. 

“We’ve been fortunate to have the ability to get them coats for the winter and hopefully the next couple years,” said West Valley City Fire Department Captain Tyler Sleater in a video released by West Valley City. 

Erica Hibbard, a social worker at the school, said in the same video that they have many kids who live below the poverty line so the warm clothes were appreciated. 

“We’re super thankful that people in the community are willing and wanting to donate so we’re thankful for all the donations that made this possible,” she said. 

Hibbard also said Farnsworth is a walking school with many kids braving the cold as they travel to and from school. 

“Coats are so important for kids,” she said. “So they’re warm and when they’re playing outside or waiting for school or walking to and from school… it’s important that they’re warm all the way from when they leave their house to when they get home at night.” 

For the firefighters, it was a special moment. 

“Oh we love this, the interaction with the kids is awesome,” Sleater said. “Just to see the smiles on their faces seeing the firemen anyway, and being able to get a coat that’s gonna be good for them for the winter is really good.” 

“[The kids] seemed very excited, very surprised so a lot of them have been thankful and very excited,” Hibbard said.