ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — It’s finally that time of year for the temperatures to drop, but the members of the Gates Fire District are trying to warm up the kids here at the Hope Hall School with dozens of free coats.

Lunch tables were piled high with coats of all colors and sizes Tuesday, to keep Hope Hall students toasty this winter. More than 40 students received the outerwear, courtesy of the Gates Firefighters and Dispatchers Union and Operation Warm.

A firefighter named Brandon told News 8, “We love what we do as firefighters, but we also love being within the community and, you know, we’re grateful for all the things that they’ve given to us.”

The initiative has been running for eight years now, and every time these first responders say they’re melted by the warm appreciation from the kids, oftentimes received in the form of drawings and hand-written notes.