WESTPORT — Temperatures are dropping, so the Fire Department is ramping up its annual “Share the Warmth” coat collection to benefit the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

Firefighters are asking the Westport community to support the campaign by donating new or gently used and clean winter coats, hats, mittens/gloves and snow suits for children, women and men through Nov. 12.

Cold-weather clothing can be dropped off at these locations:

Fire Department headquarters, 515 Post Road East.

Westport Center for Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Ave.

Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave.

Donations will help hundreds of people in “some of the area’s most distressed neighborhoods,” Fire Chief Nicholas Marsan said in a statement announcing the campaign. “A coat may seem simple, but it’s essential for many children and adults in nearby communities.”

The Share the Warmth campaign “allows us to give back and ease the burdens on local families,” Deputy Fire Marshal Rob Lenois, president of the Westport Uniformed Firefighters Charitable Foundation,  said in the statement.

“Last year, thanks to the generosity of this community, we distributed over 1,350 coats.”

The Bridgeport Rescue Mission, which will distribute the coats and clothing items donated by Westporters, provides free food, housing and addiction-recovery services in southwestern Connecticut.