A surprise donation of a combined $15,000 from Mentor-based Just In Time Staffing and Buyers Products Company made this holiday season much warmer for the several hundred children who attend North Elementary School in Madison.

Employees of both companies, along with Coats for Kids representatives, were at the school on Friday, Dec. 22 for a pre-holiday break coat distribution event that resulted in every student at the school receiving a brand new, warm winter coat.

“Our companies and employees wanted to do something to give back during this season of giving,” said Lisa Donato, vice president of human resources, Just In Time Staffing. “We discussed different organizations we might like to work with, and decided on Coats for Kids because they are a small, local organization that is doing good right here in northeast Ohio, where we felt our donation could make a significant impact.”

Coats for Kids worked with the companies to identify a school where the majority of children enrolled participate in the federal free or reduced lunch program. With Just in Time Staffing and Buyers Products based in Mentor, the hope was to give back to a school in Lake County, and North Elementary School in Madison was deemed the perfect fit.