Providing warm winter clothing for children in need
Together we can make a difference and change lives
Who We Are
How it all started
Warm The Children was founded in Torrington, Connecticut in 1988 by newspaper publisher Mack W. Stewart.
Following the initial success of the Torrington program, Mack Stewart
called other small town newspaper owners asking them if they would like to participate. Don Sincell, then owner of the
Republican newspaper, said yes and a Warm the Children program was born in Garrett County.
Today there are 27 Warm The Children programs spending $800,000 annually on new winter wear for 10,000+ local children in need.
How WTC got started in Garrett County
Don Sincell recruited help from the Department of Social Services to identify families in need and the Civic Club of Oakland to oversee shopping and financials for the program. The newspaper placed an ad to solicit donations from its readers. For over 20 years, readers continue to be very generous in their support of the program and the need continues to be great. Less than 1% of Garrett County's donations are used for administrative purposes (stamps, office supplies & website management)
Our Team
For many years, Betty Ellington was the driving force behind WTC. Her sudden death in December 2022 was a blow to our community but Warm the Children has continued under the new leadership of Judi Merriman, Darla Soles, BJ Gallaher and Linda Luedeke. Additional support is provided by club members and community volunteers who shop with families and write thank you notes to each donor.
Contact Us
Would you like to help?
Let us know if you would like to shop with a family. The process is simple and very rewarding.
Warm the Children
