Record breaking Clothes for Kids
To the editor:
We’ve often heard that records are made to be broken, and that’s confirmed with the comparison between last year’s record-breaking number of 107 children who benefited from the Clothes for Kids project when compared to this year’s total of 174. Of that number, 112 were Pine Island Elementary School students (40 percent of the school’s enrollment) and the remainder were in middle school and high school.
Those who were age 14 and above received Kohl’s gift cards to permit them to do their own shopping. Parents who attempt to buy clothes for their teens will most likely agree that this was a smart move on our part!
As with all FISH programs, this is a community effort and as always the response was heart-warming.
Many of our Pine Island – Matlacha residents “adopted” one or several children. Several organizations and churches participated, to include the Matlacha Hookers, United Methodist Church, St. James Baptist Church, Sons of the American Legion, individual FISH volunteers, VFW Auxiliary, American Legion Auxiliary and Women of the Moose. Checks appeared in the mail, and each one was equally appreciated regardless of de-nomination. Those funds were used toward the purchase of the Kohl’s gift cards as well as Payless Shoe Source gift cards that were provided to all 174 students.
Expenses considerably ex-ceeded the donations received this year, making it necessary to draw on FISH reserve funds to replenish the Basket Brigade treasury. The FISH board will discuss the situation at a special meeting scheduled for later this month.
On behalf of the parents and their children who proudly wore brand-new clothes as the school year began, we express our heartfelt gratitude.
Peg Harmon and
Mary Jo Roane
Co-Chairs, FISH Basket Brigade Clothes
for Kids project