It’s winter in Iowa, which means everyone needs adequate means to protect themselves from the bitter cold.

One man is trying to do that in Jefferson with a program called “Warm It Forward.” It is a simple clothing hanger outside of Meythaler Photography on the downtown square. Organizer Dan Meythaler says anyone can hang new or gently used winter coats, from kids to adult sizes, as well as kids boots, hats or gloves, and the items can be taken for free. He explains why he started the effort three years ago.

“You walk around town in the wintertime and you see a lot of people or kids that don’t have warm coats. Sometimes it can be ten-degrees outside or negative ten (degrees), and you see people just with like a light jacket on, freezing. You look at that and you feel like, they need a coat, they should always have a coat.”

Meythaler got the idea from a fellow photographer from Fort Dodge and then started a “Warm It Forward” campaign outside his business in Jefferson. He says the first year there were 50 coats total, and now they get 50 coats weekly. He adds, items are donated anonymously and they start the program early fall and it ends at the start of spring.