Over 50 Richfield Public School students were hosted for a clothing shopping event in
November by Assistance League ® Minneapolis/St. Paul. The event took place at the
Target store in Richfield for the second year in a row. Assistance League volunteers
were on hand to greet students and families, answer questions, and assist with check
out. Assistance League’s Operation School Bell ® Clothes for Kids program funded up to
$100 of clothing items for each student.

The event was “a really great opportunity (for our students) to get some seasonally
appropriate clothing,” a Richfield Public School social worker remarked. Assistance
League partnered closely with Richfield Public Schools(RPS) in planning the Target
Shopping program. The district’s social workers were instrumental in identifying
students for this program and notifying families about the shopping event.

Families were very thankful for this opportunity given this economically challenging
year. When asked about the impact of the clothing event for their students a RPS social
worker responded, “The shopping event benefited all our families greatly and had great
timing. Several students were excited about their new winter gear.”

The Operation School Bell Clothes for Kids program partners with selected Minneapolis,
St. Paul, and Richfield public schools to provide new school uniforms to economically
disadvantaged school students. The goal of the program is to help the students feel
better about themselves and to be more comfortable attending school. 80% of teachers
surveyed in our partner schools said they’ve observed a positive change in student
confidence and 70% of teachers observed a positive change in classroom behavior as a
result of their school’s participation in the Operation School Bell Clothes for Kids
program. In past years, over 3,000 students per year in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and
Richfield public schools received new school uniforms and other school clothing through
this program.