It's the end of a long ear on KARE 11, where meteorologist Belinda Jensen announced she is retiring. That came with another announcement, where she said they will auction off her legendary coat collection.
Jensen told WCCO's Chad Hartman she is officially stepping away from her daily anchor seat on May 2. To celebrate her 33 year run with KARE, her fans can bid on nearly 70 items from her wardrobe including 37 of her signature "backyard" coats.
That will run throughout March to raise funds for the ICA Food Shelf.
"So obviously my uniform is these coats and I work outside in the KAREE 11 backyard," Jensen explained. "So I've worn them forever and people, you know, 'hey, where'd you get that coat,' that whole thing. I think Minnesota really likes their outerwear because we have to wear it."
Jensen also said she wants to pursue her passion for STEM advocacy.
"I will get out and speak on STEM for sure. I'd love to do that for many groups, and talk about STEM and girls and science and why we need to get everyone into it," Jensen added.
She's also excited those famous backyard coats can help feed people.
"You know, food is life and we need to help people," Jensen said. "And there's really an easy way to do it."
Jensen added you can still look forward to seeing her occasionally on the Saturday morning show she helped create.
But, moving forward, Jensen plans to focus on lake life, leaving behind a legacy that’s as warm as her favorite winter gear.