CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Salvation Army of Coastal Bend is asking for your help to make sure every child in their shelter can head back to school with a new wardrobe.
Right now, the Salvation Army currently has 14 families and 42 children in their shelter. The average age of a child living there is nine years old.
Many of us remember the excitement that came with going shopping for brand new clothes and school supplies ahead of a new school year.
As another year approaches, The Salvation Army wants to make sure that the children in their shelter can do the same.
With a donation, you can help fund a shopping spree for those children at JC-Penny at La Palmera Mall.
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“Our goal is to get them back to school feeling confident, feeling great with a brand-new wardrobe and ready to learn,” development coordinator Monica Barrera said. “We want to make sure that we have that opportunity, so we're reaching out to the community. We're asking for their help to sponsor a child for $250.”
When families in the shelter are tasked with getting back on track, finding employment, and juggling other obstacles that come with parenthood, Barrera says that $250 donation for their child can make all the difference.
“What we're finding is when the families have that support from the salvation army and the from community, it just helps them, it encourages them that much more to get back on track. It's just a little small gesture that helps them to feel good about sending their kids back to school ready," she said.
Barrera has seen firsthand just how much joy these shopping sprees bring to the children in the shelter.
"The kids are so full of energy. They're so excited. They're just grabbing, and picking and choosing, and they have that opportunity to experience that. At the end of the day, they feel so good that they can go back to school with a new wardrobe."
If you would like to sponsor a child's back-to-school shopping spree, you can send a check to the Salvation Army. Checks can be mailed to 1804 Buford Street in Corpus Christi, Texas 78404. Just make sure you write "Back-to-School" in the check's memo line.
It's also important to note that you don't have to donate the full $250 amount. Any donation is welcome.
You can also donate by going to the Salvation Army's website. You can find that link here.