Winter clothing

    With two new pair of jeans, the boy also was getting six new pairs of socks, three shirts, a pair of sweatpants, six pairs of underwear, a winter coat, hat and gloves, and a gift certificate to Fred Meyer to purchase a new pair of shoes.

    Operation School Bell children also receive a hygiene bag with a toothbrush, shampoo and other toiletries.

    Teachers and counselors refer students to Operation School Bell. Some have never had any clothes that are new.

    For many, performance in school and self-esteem are closely tied to having clothes to wear to school, volunteers say.

    “Counselors tell us this just makes a huge difference,” volunteer Mary George said. “They hold their heads higher.”

Focus on academics

    Klamath Union High School academic counselor Matt Fries made 16 recommendations to the program this year. He said it’s nearly impossible for students who come to school hungry or without adequate clothing to focus on academics.

    “They’ve never had a lot to begin with. That’s why these individuals are targeted,” Fries said.

    The youth are grateful for the boost a new set of clothes gives them, Fries said.

    “A lot of time they say it all without saying anything. The expression on their faces says it all.”

    Fries shared a story about a Chiloquin student who had anger issues. After Fries offered the student a voucher from the Assistance League, he had no more problems the rest of the school year.

Turned around

    “It turned his whole life around,” Fries said. “He was just a different person, a different student. And that was all due to Assistance League and their support.”

    Children in kindergarten through fifth grade are outfitted from the clothing rooms in Assistance League’s store Findables, 1330 East Main St., where the group retails donated and consigned used furniture to raise money for the clothing program.

    Older kids get to go shopping on their own.

    “Many of them have never been able to go shopping for clothes for themselves,” George said.

    Assistance League gives children in grades six through 12 gift certificates to Fred Meyer for up to $135 in school-appropriate clothing.

    The program has been serving the older age group for four years, and demand continues to grow. The first year, about 50 children were served, and this year the group has budgeted for 275. The program has a budget this year of about $85,000.

    Klamath Union, George said, has already requested 50 certificates, and would like 15 more.

    Last year, the program provided clothing to around 700 children from the Klamath Basin, including Cedarville and Tulelake. Requests for clothes originate within the schools, and Assistance League gets multiple requests every day.

    Volunteer Mary O’Shaughnessy shared a story of two children who caught the eye of their school counselor. The brother and sister were showing up on alternate days and the counselor wondered why. After confronting the children, she learned they had to share one pair of shoes.

    “It’s a whole different way of living,” O’Shaughnessy said.