AURORA — Beaufort County students in need will be a little warmer this winter thanks to S.W. Snowden Elementary School students who raised money throughout November to purchase winter wear for those who are less fortunate.

As part of the school’s Cash for Coats drive, each student was asked to donate $1 to go toward purchasing winter coats and accessories. Although the school has only 176 students, they were able to raise a total of $240, according to Barbara Jones, who serves on the Bright Futures Beaufort County board. Bright Futures Beaufort County is program dedicated to meeting the needs of less privileged students.

Once the total of the coat drive was tallied, she said she selected three students to accompany her to buy the winter wear: Nassiah Moss, Hassan Moss and Tra’ Nijah Pettihomme. Jones then incorporated math into the experience by asking them to look at the discounts offered and figure out which store would allow them to buy the most with their money.

She said the group decided to shop at Wal-Mart and went to purchase the coats on Nov. 25, and she found it interesting to see what the students picked out for their peers to wear, choices that coincided with their own favorite colors and the same styles their family members would wear.

“It was just a really neat experience to see what the kids were interested in buying for other kids. … They just tickled me to see the Hello Kitty…the kids are like, ‘Yes, Ms. Jones, they still like that,’” Jones said. “We had a good time picking out the accessories and stuff.”

The three students helped to pick out eight winter coats, along with several hats, scarves and gloves, which totaled $239.98, she said.

Jones said the idea for the coat drive came about after PotashCorp-Aurora decided to donate jackets with the Trojan logo to every student and staff member at S.W. Snowden, and the school felt it would be nice to pay that kindness forward. The students’ donations complemented the Bright Futures winter coat drive held Nov. 2-13.

Along with the fun of the trip to purchase the items, Jones said the students who accompanied her to Wal-Mart were able to use math skills in a real-life setting, and everyone at the school was able to give back to the community.

And according to Robin McKeithan, coordinator of Bright Futures Beaufort County, it is already paying off, as three of the coats have already gone to students in need at Chocowinity Primary School on Monday afternoon.

“They said they really enjoyed the experience,” Jones said of the students who shopped with her. “It was just a fun experience for me, too.”