Simple Floors Portland has so much to be thankful for and we want to pass that blessing onto others as we grow. There are many local people, particularly children in the Portland area, who don’t have as much as some of us do. They find daily living a struggle in various ways. As of 2015, about 4.4% of students in the Multnomah County Public Schools were classified as homeless. This number was staggering to us and it is considered well below the poverty line. The number of homeless students (lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence) is growing every year. In fact, last year over 53% of children in the Portland School District were eligible for free/reduced lunch with 19 schools having over 75% of students participating in that program.
Why Donating Kids Clothing Is Greatly Needed
While there are many programs in place for food and housing support to disadvantaged Portland area families, it’s a little more difficult to find warm clothing in either new or like-new condition to get them through our cold and rainy winter months. Weather appropriate clothes build self-confidence and a sense of security for many children who may not have it based on their living conditions and current circumstance. Statistics also show that children even miss school due to not having adequate clothing. So, another bonus to having the availability of new clothing, is that it can give our Portland area kids more opportunities to play outside, be more active at school and participate in community events.
How The Gift Of Clothing Makes A Difference
Portland Simple Floors idea for this holiday season is to support a local non-profit that supplied clothing to local students in need. The organization we selected is the The Portland Council, PTA Clothing Center, available for students to get new and like-new jackets, jeans, socks and other items. This local facility is run through the Portland Public School System, and has been opened since 1964. During that time it has provided over 2,000 students per year with winter clothes, hats and gloves and countless of other needed clothing items! The center is located at Franklin High School (Marshall Campus) and they are open on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am-1pm through April. They see anywhere from 30-40 students per day and even had almost 100 needy Portland kids in one day at the start of this school year. Last school year, they logged an amazing 4500 hours of volunteer time!
The Portland area children that arrive at the center are grateful for the donations. Upon receiving a new clothing item, Sharon Meigh-Chang the PTA Clothing Center director told KOIN 6 News, “When kids get a new item it just brightens their day,” she said. “They’ll put it on and they’ll beam and they’ll be like, ‘I get this?’ For some of the students, getting a new item from the PTA Clothing Center is the first new clothing item they’ve ever received. And there is no way to measure that kind of gift!
How You Can Get In On The Act
We could really use your help! We will be running a clothing drive to collect clothing donations from now through December 16th and are requesting all new or nearly new kids clothing. We will be accepting any of the following here at our store in NW Portland or we can arrange a pickup if absolutely necessary.
Drop off donations at: 3477 NW Yeon Ave Portland OR 97210 or call Misty for more information 503-715-5532
Please Consider Helping A Child This Holiday By Donating Any Of These Clothing Items:
- Winter Clothing: Jackets, sweatshirts, hats, scarves, and gloves
- Jeans (sizes 8-16)
- Socks & Underwear
- Cash/Check donations (tax receipt will be mailed to you)
How Your Donations Directly Help A Child
The gift of donating a winter jacket or hat that you have added onto your holiday shopping or even just a small monetary contribution can bring about a huge impact to a Portland area kids life that may far exceed just the receipt of warmer clothing. You directly affect their life.
Here are just a few ways your gift gives back:
- No child should have to show their family’s financial crisis through their clothing but rather feel comfortable and like everyone else.
- Giving a child something brand new, especially when they typically don’t get new clothing creates a sense of pride and ownership.
- A new warm winter coat will foster self-confidence and security when they may lack it.
- It helps children attend school more often especially on cold and rainy days.
- Having a warm clothing gives kids more opportunities to play outside at school and join in community events while also being able to stay active year-round.
Please consider joining this holiday season with us here at Simple Floors Portland and giving the gift of warmth to our local children. You may not ever see their face light up when they receive your donation but you can rest in the knowledge that you made a big impact in their life.
If you have questions or need any other additional information, please contact misty@simplefloors.com.
