“There is no bad weather, only bad clothes!” Being outside all morning in all kinds of weather means the children need good clothing that will stop the rain, keep them warm and comfortable. We gave parents a list of clothing supplies that will insure their children are warm and dry, even during cold January mornings. Parents have been busy buying long underwear, warm sweaters and pants. To be sure that all the children have good quality clothing that would stand up to daily use for a year and still be useable for next year we decided to buy the boots, raincoats and pants and backpacks. We did not want the cost of clothing and boots to be an obstacle to any child being able to participate in the program, we approached several sources with little luck and then this summer our local community came through.
Scallywag’s, a children’s clothing store, offered to donate three units of rain gear and to order the rest of the rain pants and coats at a discount. With word of Scallywag’s support we had other community donors willing to contribute for more rain suits. Traci McGee Family Counseling practice will sponsor one suit, Kristen Watson will sponsor one suit and another community donor will sponsor two suits. A parent, Scot Taylor, had donated money towards the clothing earlier in the summer and we are able to put that money towards the coats and pants. These raincoats will certainly get a test of endurance and hopefully prove to be durable enough to be used next year.
Valhalla Pure Outfitters is helping us find hiking boots for the children at a reasonable cost. It will make a difference in the rainy days we have coming that the children have coats and boots that keep them warm. We are grateful to our community that has come forward to help support this project!
