As temperatures dip into the teens, more than 100 people -- children and adults -- are a bit warmer this week, thanks to a collaboration between the Office of Beyond School Time and Dr. Chris Thornell.

A coat drive and coat distribution operation run out of the Hammond School in Onset by the School Department's Beyond School Time program began on Nov. 12. Last Thursday, Nov. 21, Dr. Thornell arrived with 129 new coats, mostly donated by his patients at New England Family Chiropractic.

That made Thursday a very good day to select a coat!

“I know so many folks in the back of the woods who are freezing,” Tania Abbott of Wareham said as she picked through the stock.

While Abbott's reference was to the town's homeless population, recipients include all sorts of people in need -- many of them working people with roofs over their head but a hard time making financial ends meet.

“This coat drive is a heaven send,” said Mark Heath of Wareham, also on hand to select a coat. “I’m happy it’s here for people.”

It was not just the prospect of a new coat that warmed Steve Maxim.

“I used to be a custodian here,” the Wareham man said while searching for a coat in his size. “Everyone who comes here has a memory from either themselves, their parents or grandparents -- happy memories.”

The largest donation of jackets came from Thornell, in his 10th year doing a coat drive. His son, Cooper, even took the day off of school to help out.

“We get all brand new coats,” Thornell said.

“It’s great to be involved with such a great group of people,” he said. “I think of them when I walk these coats in.”

Thornell conducted his coat drive over a period of eight weeks.

“We used to do a Christmas family thing where we could get toys and stuff for a family, and then one year we said, ‘Let’s do something different,’” Thornell explained. “So, we did a coat drive. People really gravitated toward that.”

At the Hammond School, Marianne Murphy of the Parent-Child Home Program keeps a tally sheet of all the coats that have been given away. As of last last week, that number stood at 100.

Every week until February, the drive/distribution is held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Coats may be picked up or donated at these times. New or gently used coats may be donated.

As their children grow each year, many people who take coats from the drive for their children then donate the coats back the following year.

Maureen Manning or Jane Fondulis will take any questions at beyondschooltime@wareham.k12.ma.us . Calls may also be made to Murphy at 508-291-3567 extension 10.