Operation Food Search and Warners' Warm-Up Collect 15,000 Winter Coats

Operation Food Search (OFS), a hunger relief organization that provides food to the area's hungry, recently distributed 15,000 coats collected during the 16th annual Warners' Warm-up coat drive.

Warners' Warm-up, a two-week coat drive held at more than 600 drop-off locations during November, encouraged Metro St. Louisans to donate new and gently-used winter coats. Operation Food Search distributed the collection to homeless shelters, schools and other social service agencies throughout the bi-state region in time for the winter months.

Former St. Louis Rams' quarterback Kurt Warner, along with wife Brenda Warner, established the coat drive prior to a home football game in 2001. More than 200,000 coats have been collected and distributed since then.

Pictured is Brenda Warner with a student from Barack Obama Elementary School who was one of the first to receive a free coat.

Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides food and nutrition education. With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families with a range of programs and services proven to reduce food insecurity and increase access to healthy and affordable food.

OFS helps feed more than 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis - one-third of which are children - through a network of 330 community partners in 31 Missouri and Illinois counties, as well as in the city of St. Louis. For every dollar donated, OFS provides $21 worth of food and nutrition services to support the area's hungry.

Operation Food Search is located at 1644 Lotsie Blvd. For more information, call (314) 726-5355 or visit http://www.OperationFoodSearch.org.