Marathon and Operation Warm Turn Coats Into Confidence
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / May 1, 2026 / Key Points
In 2025, Marathon Petroleum teams helped deliver coats to more than 4,000 children in communities across the country.
Through its partnership with Operation Warm, Marathon employees volunteered at events that helped kids feel confident, supported and ready to succeed.
Since 2021, Marathon and Operation Warm have provided coats for more than 21,000 children, with expanded efforts and events already underway across the country this year.
For thousands of kids across the country, a warm winter coat means more than just staying comfortable. It means showing up to school with confidence. It means feeling seen and knowing the community has their back, long after the season ends.
That's exactly what continues to take shape through Marathon Petroleum's growing partnership with Operation Warm. Together, Marathon and Operation Warm are helping provide new winter coats to children in communities where Marathon employees live and work.
"When companies like Marathon step in, it creates lasting impact," said Jean Burnett, Volunteer Engagement Manager at Operation Warm. "You're not just handing out jackets. You're helping kids feel supported, valued and prepared for whatever lies ahead."
From small towns to big cities, Marathon teams helped provide warm winter coats to children in need.
More than two dozen volunteers from Marathon's Garyville refinery helped more than 100 children find and fit new coats at a local Operation Warm event.
"This partnership really reflects who we are," said Ashley Goecke, Community Relations Representative at Marathon Petroleum. "It's about showing up for our communities and making a real difference, especially for families who need it most."
In 2025 alone, Marathon teams helped deliver coats to more than 4,000 children across the country, from Louisiana to Alaska, with employees volunteering their time to help kids select a brand-new coat of their own.
You see the smiles, you hear the thank-yous, and you recognize you're part of something bigger than yourself. It's incredibly rewarding.
"Winter stays a long time here in Fairbanks, Alaska, so this generous donation means a great deal to our students and families," said Dr. Luke Meinert, Superintendent of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. "Our schools rely on community partners like Marathon and Operation Warm. You could say it doesn't get much better or warmer than this."
Marathon volunteers at an Operation Warm event in St. Paul Park, Minnesota, where they helped fit dozens of local students with new coats.
For many of these children and their families, everyday essentials like a new winter jacket can be hard to come by, making these moments about much more than the warmth a coat provides for both the kids and the volunteers.
"It's honestly incredible to watch their faces light up," said Danny Oubre, Marathon Pipe Line Area Manager in Garyville and St. James, Louisiana, and a volunteer at an Operation Warm event. "Seeing a child find the coat they love and try it on for the first time never gets old."
That feeling was shared again and again by volunteers across Marathon's footprint, including Chrissy Castle, a Senior Maintenance Planner at Marathon Petroleum's Kenova Terminal in South Shore, Kentucky, who said the experience quickly puts things into perspective.
Marathon volunteers at an Operation Warm event in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2025.
"You realize pretty quickly it's about so much more than a jacket," Castle said. "It's about helping them feel seen, valued and cared for. And it doesn't get much better than that."
These moments don't end when the weather warms. The confidence and connection built at each event carry forward, well beyond a single day or season.
"You see the difference you're making in real time," said Jay Richert, Vice President of Refining at Marathon Petroleum's Garyville refinery in Louisiana, where his team saw strong volunteer turnout at a local Operation Warm event. "You see the smiles, you hear the thank-yous, and you recognize you're part of something bigger than yourself. It's incredibly rewarding."
Marathon employee volunteer shares a moment with a student after she tries on a new coat at an Operation Warm event in North Pole, Alaska.
Marathon volunteers at a 2025 Operation Warm event at a local school in North Pole, Alaska.
Since the partnership began in 2021, Marathon teams, alongside Operation Warm, have helped provide coats to more than 21,000 children across the country. The nonprofit has also expanded its reach in recent years to include shoes and athletic gear.
As 2026 continues, Marathon teams are already working closely with Operation Warm to plan and coordinate events in communities across the country. With growing momentum and continued collaboration, this partnership is only getting stronger, creating even more opportunities to show up, give and make a lasting difference.
Marathon employee volunteer poses for a photo with a student he helped fit with a new coat at an Operation Warm event in South Shore, Kentucky.
At each Operation Warm event, students signed a "Thank You" banner that was presented to Marathon volunteers.
Employees from Marathon's MPLX operations in Garyville, Louisiana, participate in a local Operation Warm event.
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SOURCE: Marathon Petroleum