Coastal Delaware Insider:  Volume 3

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

It's not always easy to tell when a child is in need, hungry, or being mistreated in some way. For many young kids in our schools right here in Sussex County, however, one need is more obvious - they lack the proper clothes to attend school five days a week.

Clothing Our Kids {COK}, a non-profit organization located in Millsboro, DE, is working to ensure that no child misses a day of school because they don't have proper shoes or clothes, a coat to wear in the winter, or are simply too embarrassed to attend school due to unwashed clothing.
Since its inception in 2012, COK has delivered over 117,573 articles of clothing to over 20,418 children in Sussex County, Delaware. Schoolchildren from Pre-K through 5th grade, truly vulnerable ages, have received clothing through the organization. Providing appropriate school clothes boosts these young students' confidence, reducing the possibility of bullying while increasing the probability of regular attendance.
This volunteer organization works exclusively with school nurses and social workers familiar with the family history and needs of each child. Some children come from broken homes or abusive domestic situations, while other families have simply fallen on hard times and lack the income to purchase new childrens' clothing.

Clothing Our Kids was born out of the love and hard work of Mary Rio, a resident of Long Neck, Delaware. As Mary puts it, "My husband was an assistant principal of an area elementary school and told me after school one day that we needed to buy clothes for one particular child. This young girl had come into school on a Monday and had unfortunately gotten sick all over her outfit. On Tuesday and Wednesday, she had to come to school wearing these same dirty articles of clothing. The teacher sent her to the nurse to call home to get different, clean clothes. The girl broke down in tears because she didn't have any other clothes to wear."

After hearing her husband's heart-wrenching story, Rio issued a call to neighbors for help. She collected new and lightly-used clothes, providing the girl with several new outfits; however, the story shocked Rio and she started reaching out to other schools to see if there were more students who needed help. The need was greater than she imagined and Rio founded Clothing Our Kids in 2012, working out of her own home.

According to Rio, "In the past few years, you can't imagine how this organization has grown. I always say I just planted the seed and this little twig came up the first two years. But over the past five years, this little twig grew into a giant tree because of our COK volunteers and so many people in the community who are backing us. It's all the community reaching out to help children in need."
Mary's "twig" has blossomed into a solid oak tree. With the assistance of over 150 tireless volunteers, countless businesses, and donors, COK has been able to purchase, sort, process, and deliver hundreds of thousands of clothing items to Sussex County schoolchildren in need. "We are so very grateful to neighboring communities, churches, synagogues, Rotary organizations, clubs, and foundations for their generous donations of time and funds," said Kate Gibson, current President of the Clothing Our Kids Board of Directors. "The support of the community for our two annual fundraisers - the Golf Outing in the fall and Auction Party in the spring - also help us raise the necessary funds to make COK a trusted resource for the kids of Sussex County. We are blessed to live in such a close-knit and giving community."

Get Involved!
Clothing Our Kids is always looking for volunteers to help serve more children in need.
Give them a call at 302-864-KIDS (5437)

Get Connected!
clothingourkids.org   |   @clothingourkids