Marathon Petroleum Corp: Warmth, confidence and hope for hundreds of families in need

Operation Warm, a national non-profit organization, knows a new coat can go beyond meeting an underserved child’s physical needs, bringing confidence to socialize and succeed, and hope of a brighter future. The organization recently partnered with Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) Salt Lake City refinery to provide these benefits to families in need at an elementary school near the facility.

Almost a dozen MPC employees volunteered during a coat and shoe distribution event at Escalante Elementary, helping to find the right sizes for children and handing out many of the 400 coats and 400 pairs of shoes that were given away. It was the second Operation Warm event in Salt Lake City this year that MPC supported with financial and volunteer assistance.

Operation Warm works with a variety of urgent-need service providers, such as homeless shelters and foster care agencies, as well as Title 1 schools where more than 40% of the families of students are at or below 150% of the federally prescribed poverty level.