Why Kids Are Leaving Their Coats On Street Poles

Something about the holiday spirit inspires people to give back. For a lot of people, the focus on what you have and what you want leads you to think about others and what they lack — which is exactly what happened for one charitable group of kids who left coats on street poles for the homeless this week in Halifax, Canada.

Tara Smith-Atkins, her daughter, and seven of her daughter's eight-year-old friends, ran a community-wide coat drive to rack up supplies for a what would be an influential charity effort. Together, the group of nine hit the streets of Halifax and zipped up coats with gloves and scarves around street signs and poles. With the outerwear, Atkins and co. attached a small message reading:

I'm not lost. If you are stuck out in the cold, please take me to keep warm!

While this charitable gesture will surely help a few people in need of warmth this winter, it was an equally important lesson for a group of young, healthy, privileged girls. Realizing that at the end of the day, they got to get back into a heated car and go home to their warm homes, not everyone could be so lucky.

What's more, this event occurred on Tara's daughter's birthday! What a valuable lesson to gain and statement to make — when given the opportunity to ask for more, give to others.

Props to Tara, her daughter and their little helpers for inspiring a community and spreading the warmth.