As winter approaches, Ishpeming: Wesley UMC’s Keep Kids Warm ministry begins its sixteenth season helping kids in the Upper Peninsula stay warm by providing free outerwear. Image by Amel Uzunovic from Pexels
Michigan Conference UMC | October 15, 2025
ISHPEMING, Mich. — “I was naked and you gave me clothing” (Matthew 25:36a, NRSVUE).
The setting was a gymnasium lined with tables, each laden with winter outerwear for children. It was a free shopping day in October, many years ago. Families in need could come and select donated jackets, snowpants, boots, mittens, and hats for their children.
A little boy walked up to me while holding a Green Bay Packers winter jacket and asked if he could have it. I said, “Yes, you can have that jacket.” He looked down, then he stared at me again and asked, “For free?” “Yes,” I responded, “you can have that jacket for free; it is yours.”
The disbelief continued. Again, the boy asked, “You mean I can have this jacket for free?” I smiled, bent down low, eye to eye, and said, “Yes, you can have that jacket for free.” His face erupted in an amazed expression. He turned and ran across the gym floor, yelling to his mother, “Mom, that guy said I could have this jacket for free!” It was the first new winter jacket he ever had.
There you have it. Greetings from Wesley United Methodist Church in Ishpeming, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In this part of the country, winter cold and snow are part of our culture. And when it comes, which will be soon, many families will be faced with a difficult economic dilemma — how to afford the snow pants, jackets, and boots needed to keep their kids warm.
Student volunteers from the National Honor Society help during a clothing distribution to two area schools, Aspen Ride and Birchview. Ironically, they distributed 58 complete sets of outerwear on a day when the outside temperature was 85 degrees. Photos by Jacki Crimmins
And that is exactly what motivated our congregation to start the Keep Kids Warm (KKW) program. This will be the sixteenth winter that this ministry has touched the lives of hundreds of children, ensuring they are warm and dry when they go to school, go outside during recess, or play outdoors afterward. The Keep Kids Warm volunteers and our congregation continue to support the effort because there are so many children just like the little boy in the story.
Let me expand on that story. A local school official sent a letter to Wesley UMC at the end of last winter that said: “I work in the school office and have had the privilege of delivering winter gear to our students. Before KKW, many of them lacked clothing for the winter season. Thanks to KKW, over 90% of our students received winter outerwear this school year. Seeing the joy and excitement when receiving it is incredible. They are so grateful and can’t wait to go outside and play.”
People often ask our team, “Which schools, how many kids, how much winter clothing?” In the Christian faith, “one” is a big number, especially as we think of Jesus’ teachings. But there are more. Specifically, Keep Kids Warm worked closely with the following schools: Ishpeming, Negaunee, Powell Township (Big Bay), NICE district, Republic – Michigamme, and the Marquette County Head Start Program. Over 450 children received winter outerwear: 317 pairs of boots, 344 winter jackets, 348 snowpants, 345 winter hats, and 361 pairs of gloves/mittens.
The program model has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Early on, we conducted community-wide collections of slightly used or new winter clothing, which culminated in a free shopping day at the Ishpeming Armory Gymnasium. The lead story is a snapshot of that time.
Church volunteers prepare clothing in the Keep Kids Warm room at Wesley UMC. This dedicated space provides storage as well as tables for assembling orders for individual families. Photos by Jacki Crimmins
During the pandemic and afterward, we had to reconsider clothing donations and now rely on, and are blessed with, generous financial donations from grants, businesses, churches, and individuals. Our team purchases new winter clothing, typically for ages 4 through 18, usually at discounted prices because area businesses have come to recognize our mission and the need.
From there, we work closely with school administrators to identify kids in need, determine the specific requirements, and then supply the winter outerwear to each child. All of this takes place in late September and early October, just in time for winter. We continue to fill requests throughout the winter months as they are received.
In conclusion, I am often asked how I feel and how we all feel about helping families in need. The response is difficult. Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11, NIV). Our team responds, “We are happy to obey what Jesus has spoken and help our neighbors in need.” Quietly, we wish there was no need, but there is, and so the ministry continues.
We are to be living water poured out to those we may never know. I don’t know the name of the little boy, but I know he was warm.
If this ministry inspires your church, please get in touch with us for more information on starting a similar program in your community. Email the church at church@ishpemingwesley.org or visit our ministry web page at http://keepkidswarm.org/.
Dick Derby coordinates the Keep Kids Warm ministry at Wesley UMC in Ishpeming, Michigan.