ARLINGTON — It’s time for kids from low-income families to get new shoes, backpacks and pajamas.
Families can get those and much more for free at Arlington Kids’ Kloset, a charity that serves the Arlington, Lakewood and Darrington school districts.
“It’s an excellent shopping experience for the kids,” said Linda Dussault, one of the group’s directors.
Kids Kloset has two “shopping” seasons: August through January and March through June. Kids who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at school are eligible, but other families may be eligible too, Dussault said.
Families need to make an appointment to shop.
Preschoolers to seniors can find just what they need at Kids Kloset. All kids get a list of things they would need for a whole week of school, including new shoes, underwear and socks, a jacket, shirts and pants, a backpack and, before they leave, a book, Dussault said. “They get so excited about the new shoes especially,” she said.
Kids can pick out and try on what they like.
The closet even has prom dresses for girls to borrow, Dussault said. Volunteers wash all dresses after they get them back.
“We like to think of ourselves as a great, big clothing recycling place,” she said.
The closet opened in May 2005. Many families keep coming back, Dussault said.
Last fall, though, she saw many new families. About 1,000 children “shopped” at the closet last fall, compared with about 630 in the fall of 2007.
Dussault and others running the closet are volunteers. This year, they will most likely be shorthanded and hope more people will give a little bit of their time.
The Arlington School District lets the closet use the space in the basement of the old high school, Dussault said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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