6 Aug 2005 Needy youth get shopping spree FAIRFIELD DAILY REPUBLIC
  by Sarah Arnquist  

 

 FAIRFIELD - By the time most readers pick up this paper, 31 needy Fairfield youth will be devouring their breakfasts after a free $100 back-to-school shopping spree.

The children showed up to Mervyn's department store in Fairfield at 6:30 a.m. They raced through the store picking out new T-shirts and jeans. By 8 a.m., they paid cash for their new wardrobes.

Parents stay outside so the children pick out exactly what they want to wear, said Linda Mahoney, event organizer and director of Heather House. They leave feeling excited about going to school in their new clothes, she said.

"They have enough barriers to overcome, especially being homeless," Mahoney said. "We want them to get the same start that every other child has, and that's coming to school with a new outfit."

This is the sixth year Mervyn's has sponsored the shopping spree. The youth ranged from first to 12th grade and come from the Heather House homeless shelter and SafeQuest women's shelter. Volunteers from Soroptimist International, Travis Air Force Base and the Interfaith Council helped out the younger children.

The Mervyn's in Vacaville also let 24 children in early this morning to find a new school wardrobe.

Carol Medel, special project coordinator for the Salvation Army, organized the Vacaville event. Shopping at a department store and buying the clothes themselves at the checkout line is very empowering for these kids, she said.

"They feel better about themselves because they're able to get brand new clothes and not have to go to school in worn, used clothes like before."

The children were all preselected. Families interested in participating should call the Salvation Army at 426-6244 by next July.

Reach Sarah Arnquist at 427-6953 or sarnquist@dailyrepublic.net
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