Kids' clothing charity hanging by a thread
LYNNWOOD, Wash. - The tough economy is overwhelming a local charity that provides school clothes for kids.
Volunteers at Clothes for Kids say donations aren't down - but demand is through the roof.
Heather McMair, a mother of three, says the charity allows her to leave her purse at home when she goes clothes-shopping for her three children.
"If I had to do that with cash, I'd have to forgo by car insurance for the whole year," she says.
Mark Smith, who runs the charity, says it provides school clothes to kids who might otherwise go without.
"So many times people in low-income situations have to rummage through bins or someone pre-selects something to give to them as a hand out," he says. "What we want people to do is come in and get a shopping experience same as you or I might walking into The Gap or Nordstrom."
Says Heather McMair: "You come in with a basket and a list, and you can stay up to two hours, and you get to pick and choose where your kids want. And it's a huge self-esteem builder for them to be able to pick out clothes."
But now Clothes for Kids needs help.
Normally the charity's bins would be full to overflowing, but because of increased demand from the tanking economy, regular donations can't keep up.
"We just need so much more to keep up with the infux of people, because the fear is, we'll have to turn people away and we've never had to do that before," Smith says.
He says they are desperate for donations after helping thousands more families than just a couple years ago.
"So one year they're donating, the next year they're in need," he says. "That's the dramatic change we're seeing."
McMair says she can tell the shelves are getting bare.
"Well, there's only about seven pairs of shoes on the rack right now for kids from 1st to 12th grade. That's horrible."
Clothes for Kids also provides school supplies, along with clothes for parents with job interviews.
Volunteers at Clothes for Kids say donations aren't down - but demand is through the roof.
Heather McMair, a mother of three, says the charity allows her to leave her purse at home when she goes clothes-shopping for her three children.
"If I had to do that with cash, I'd have to forgo by car insurance for the whole year," she says.
Mark Smith, who runs the charity, says it provides school clothes to kids who might otherwise go without.
"So many times people in low-income situations have to rummage through bins or someone pre-selects something to give to them as a hand out," he says. "What we want people to do is come in and get a shopping experience same as you or I might walking into The Gap or Nordstrom."
Says Heather McMair: "You come in with a basket and a list, and you can stay up to two hours, and you get to pick and choose where your kids want. And it's a huge self-esteem builder for them to be able to pick out clothes."
But now Clothes for Kids needs help.
Normally the charity's bins would be full to overflowing, but because of increased demand from the tanking economy, regular donations can't keep up.
"We just need so much more to keep up with the infux of people, because the fear is, we'll have to turn people away and we've never had to do that before," Smith says.
He says they are desperate for donations after helping thousands more families than just a couple years ago.
"So one year they're donating, the next year they're in need," he says. "That's the dramatic change we're seeing."
McMair says she can tell the shelves are getting bare.
"Well, there's only about seven pairs of shoes on the rack right now for kids from 1st to 12th grade. That's horrible."
Clothes for Kids also provides school supplies, along with clothes for parents with job interviews.