SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Clothing Our Kids says it began receiving clothing orders from school staff before the start of the school year and, for the first time, is delivering to all 10 high schools in Sussex County.
The Sussex County-based nonprofit provides new clothing and shoes to students in need at schools across the county, including pre-K, Head Start, elementary, middle and high schools. The organization says demand has grown each year, and this year, orders came in before their center was scheduled to reopen in late August, prompting an early start.
According to the organization, before the school year started, they had delivered over 100 boxes of clothing.
The organization says it delivered more than 100 boxes of clothing before the school year started.
High school deliveries began last school year with Cape Henlopen High School in the fall and Sussex Central High School in January.
"We want the children to stay in school. We want them to feel good about walking in the door," said Bob Blouin, president of the organization. "When you're a young adult and now you're going through high school, we want them ready to go to the next step, whether it's to go to college or get a job."
Orders are placed by school staff, including teachers, nurses, counselors, or homeless liaisons, and the same staff member gives the clothing box to the student.
"We do pride ourselves in making sure that an order that comes in on a Tuesday definitely is in the hands of the child by Friday," said Karen Borges, volunteer center director and board member.
Borges has been a volunteer with the nonprofit since it was founded in 2012 by Mary Rio. Mary's husband, John, an assistant principal at a Sussex County elementary school, told her about a young girl who came to school each day wearing the same clothes and was being bullied. That story led to the creation of the organization.
"We have a lot of in-need children, and we're here to help them with whatever they need," Borges said. "It is the most rewarding job to know that you are taking care of a child with a week's worth of clothes, and to fill that box, we fill it with love."
Clothing Our Kids was founded 13 years ago.
Clothing Our Kids says every item they provide is new. More than 30 volunteers help look for clothes, pack, and deliver orders to schools across the county.
At Sussex Central High School, assistant principal Melissa White said the partnership with Clothing Our Kids has already proven very successful.
"If they don't have all of the necessities to be able to come in to school wearing new clothes, clean clothes, shoes, appropriate footwear, a lot of times those are the things that kids are focused on," White said. "They're not able to invest the time and energy they need into their academics and into their classroom instruction."
The organization says it reopened early to handle incoming orders.
She noted that the organization also stepped in during serious family emergencies.
"We had a handful of families last year that went through some very awful situations, house fires, floods, so they lost everything," White said. "We had some students and their parents with just the clothing on their backs, and we were able to work with Clothing Our Kids to be able to provide an entire wardrobe for those families, not just our students, their entire families."
White added that she's seen a clear difference in how students engage when their basic needs are met.
"When they feel good about themselves, they're able to really focus on their instruction, on the content," she said.
Donations can be made here.