Anybody who needs clothing for their children for the upcoming school year will be allowed to obtain clothing during the eighth annual Back to School Clothing Giveaway at Grace United Methodist Church, 2 Neosho St.
The giveaway will be from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. Each family who shows up will be given a number and assisted by a personal shopper. Children must be with a parent and parents must have their children present with them to obtain clothing, said Cindy Krisman, coordinator of the clothing giveaway.
The giveaway is always done the Saturday before school starts. The church tries to give each child a pair of pants, a shirt, underwear, socks, a hoodie and a coat.
The giveaway was started by Pam McGuire and Sue Barham eight years ago and was a way for children in the community to start the school year with new clothes.
No questions are asked at the giveaway and it keeps getting bigger each year. Last year the giveaway clothed 343 children from 155 families from all 12 schools and seven outlying schools.
“It gets a little bit bigger each year,” Krisman said. “The need is there.”
The clothing giveaway is funded through the church. Two Sundays are set aside in May called “Undie Sundays,” where church members are asked to bring a package of underwear. Two Sundays also are set aside as “Sock it to Me Sundays” for socks and “Sole Sundays” for shoes. People who don’t prefer to shop or can’t shop give monetary donations to the fund.
Clothing sizes range from 4T (preschool) to 2X and 3X.
“We start little and go all the way up to high school,” Krisman said. “In the past we’ve had a really good turnout and the kids are very appreciative of what they get.”
Other services are offered at the giveaway including dental services, which are offered by the Lyon County Health Department and health kits are given to the first 100 families. The health kits include soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other items.
“Every little bit helps,” Krisman said. “It’s fun to see the smiles on the little kids’ faces when they get something.”
Community members who wish to help may drop off new or very gently used items or monetary donations to the church, 2 Neosho St. The church office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday. To reach the church, call 342-2240.