“Families were so excited to participate, that we had families come in early to shop, and
were ready to check out before we had finished setting up our welcome table!”
according to Carolyn Pierce coordinator for the Richfield Target event.

On November 12 and 17 over 50 Richfield Public School students were hosted by our
chapter to receive new clothing. The shopping event took place at the Richfield Target
store for the second year in a row. Our Operation School Bell ® Clothes for Kids program
funded up to $100 of clothing items for each student.

Member volunteers were on hand to greet students and families, answer questions, and
assist with check out. Also, the Allies group joined in to staff the event on the evening of
November 17 th . 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. The families
were very deserving and thankful. Luis Bolanos, an outreach worker at Richfield’s Dual
Language Immersion School, noted that one family attending was sleeping on the floor
at their home because their mattresses had been infested with bedbugs. In spite of this,
the family felt very fortunate that they were selected for our shopping program. Luis also
helped during the evening with translations. Social workers specifically assigned
Spanish speaking families to shop the night Luis was scheduled to attend.

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.”

A big THANK YOU to all members and Allies who staffed and planned the event. It was
again a success and made a direct impact in the lives of those we serve during this very
challenging time.

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.