Hundreds of Fresno children are feeling a lot warmer thanks to a local coat drive.
More than 700 coats and sweaters were given to children in the Central Unified School District Wednesday morning.
A partnership between the Foundation for Central Schools and Granville Homes made it possible.
"We bring these kids who we know are lacking a coat to be warm, particularly on a day like today, one of our first rains of the season," said Mike Berg, Central Unified School District superintendent.
Through the Granville Home of Hope fundraiser, Granville Homes was able to donate $20,000 to the Foundation for Central Schools.
"The Foundation exists to support the school district and find ways to remove some barriers that could stand in the way of kids getting a really good education," said Jeff Samds, board president for the Foundation for Central Schools.
Living without basic necessities is a cold reality for some children in the Central Valley. Twenty schools in the district benefitted from the coat drive.
"It's almost unbelievable to know that in our country there are kids at the ages of 7, 8 and 9 that have never had a coat in their life," said Darius Assemi, who works with Granville Homes.