The National Retail Federation says that folks usually spend about $500 annually getting their kids ready for school every year—but not these days, not with Montgomery County’s 7.1% unemployment rate and so many of our families already living below the poverty level. This year’s budgets will be stretched thinner than ever—but you can help. After all, if not now, when?
That’s what some local families asked themselves, and the result? Non-profit organizations close to home that continue to change lives for the better, whose every dollar goes to its intended recipient.
• Startin’ School in Style: This organization was started six years ago and continues to expand. Distressed by the poverty she saw in Norristown, then 13-year-old Anne Zapalac and her mom, Melodye, brainstormed about how they could make difference. A clothes hound, Anne decided to raid her closet—and had her friends do the same—gathering clothing and accessories, much of it still with tags on. But, instead of bagging it all up for a charity pick-up, they founded Startin’ School in Style.
SSIS now provides up to four complete outfits—all self-selected and including such accessories as bracelets, handbags, and shoes--free of charge to underprivileged Norristown girls, kindergarten to 12th grade. Choices are made in a mall-like setting at the Mercy Suburban Family Practice Center, located at 530 Church Street in Norristown. For many, this is a first-of-its kind experience, boosting both their morale and self-esteem, as they ready themselves for the start of school.
This year’s boutique, shopping mall experience will take place on Saturday, August 15th, the result of months of collecting, sorting, and storing by volunteers--and they could sure use more help
Starting at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, the 14th, trucks will transport the goods to the center. Setting up will begin by 7:30 on Saturday morning; shopping hours are from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Your help is needed:
- Tuesday & Thursday, August 11th & 13th, at mall collection site--by 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, August 15th, at the center: 530 Church Street, Norristown--starting at 7:30 a.m.
To see how this grassroots organization has taken off, items are no longer stored in friends' garages. Last year, SSIS partnered with Plymouth Meeting Mall. To get involved or donate your “new or barely used” clothing, shoes, and accessories, now you can just visit their collection shop located near the mall’s Customer Service Desk; it’s open all year long. Even the Girl Scouts have joined in now and more events are planned, so keep your items coming.
• Cradles to Crayons/Giving Tree Families: Horsham-based Cradles to Crayons “collects things that children need.” Clothing, toys, books, and food are all accepted, along with school supplies, which is the organization’s focus right now. This year’s goal is to fill 5,000 backpacks for needy children in grades Kindergarten through 5th, thus helping thousands of them "start the school year off right.” Each backpack will contain:
o 2 Marble composition books
o 6 Pencils
o 2 Erasers
o 2 Pocket folders
o 1 Box of crayons (24 count or 8 jumbo)
o 1 Box of colored pencils (12 colors)
o 1 Ruler
o 2 Glue sticks
o 6 Blue or black pens
o 1 Calculator
To support this effort, North Wales resident Bridget Leary’s Giving Tree Families organization held a July 11th Walk-a-Thon. The $3,000 proceeds from that event enabled C2C to purchase enough supplies to fill 200 backpacks.
Started just last spring, Leary’s organization, a growing network of friends and neighbors, is about “educating children about all the different charities out there” and is “dedicated to teaching our children the spirit of giving through hands-on-helping.”
Future events will benefit other charities, and children will participate in all of them. We’ll keep you posted.
For right now, C2C needs the school supplies noted above to meet its goal of filling 5,000 backpacks this year, but also welcomes all the aforementioned items, as well. These—and checks, too--can be dropped off at the group’s office and warehouse located at 141 Gibraltar Road in Horsham. Monetary donations can also be made online.
For more information: For Startin’ School in Style, go to learnmore@startinschoolinstyle.org or call 484-582-1818. For Cradles to Crayons: call 215-836-0958, and for Giving Tree Families, go to GivingTreeFamilies@yahoo.com.
(Photo Credit: istock #1971216)
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