WALL OF WARMTH IN IDAHO FALLS

As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, the Idaho Falls team stepped up to help make sure their community stays warm through the winter season.

“A wall of warmth is a community effort where new or gently used coats are donated, and those who need them can anonymously take what they need,” Idaho Falls Parts Counter Supervisor Melonie Fisher explained. The Idaho Falls store had initially planned to donate coats to a Wall of Warmth initiative happening across town, but after a strong response from employees, the team opted to set up their own.

Employees donated coats, snow pants and winter clothing. The donated items were then hung outside on the fence with a sign encouraging the community to take what they or their families needed to stay warm this winter.

The team hung the first group of coats and snow pants on the fence on a Friday—by Monday, everything had been picked up. Two more batches of donated coats and winter-weather clothes were put up throughout late November, and everything was claimed.

“Seeing the coats leave our fence and the continued support from our employees as they keep bringing in jackets has been remarkable,” Melonie said, “Western States is a family company and we live by our vision statement; it is more than just a poster on our wall. Our business helps make our communities stronger not just through our products and services, but through our people.”