Second Annual New Clothing Drive Starts On Toes of National Foster Month

Image Courtesy: swcenter.edu

(SALEM) - The furniture chain Sleep Country USA is nearing the beginning of its 2nd annual New Clothing Drive to benefit area foster children. Growing out of clothes is a common problem for kids. For more than 23,000 Northwest foster kids, replacing these clothes is also a problem.

With National Foster Care Month quickly approaching in May, Sleep Country USA aims to almost double the number of new clothing items it received last year, targeting 5,000 gifts of new pants, new tops and packaged undergarments in all sizes from infants to teenagers.

"Children that enter foster care often do so with few or no personal items," said Nancy Underwood Long, Washington state community resource coordinator, Families for Kids. "In these cases, the kids are thrilled to have the opportunity to obtain items like new jeans, shirts, socks and undergarments - items that most people take for granted. While these may not be items the kids need to survive; it is critical for them to not have an additional area in which they are 'different' from their peers." Providing these children with new clothes is contributing to a sense of self-worth and self-esteem, she said.

Sleep Country USA created the Sleep Country Foster Kids giving initiative in response to the growing needs of Northwest area foster children. Beginning in 2005, the Sleep Country Foster Kids program has been able to procure tens of thousands of items that help to fulfill the children's key material needs.

"It's hard to imagine that there are children and families in our community living without the wherewithal to replace clothing that has worn out or become too small," said Terry Horsley, executive vice president of marketing and merchandising, Sleep Country USA. "The success of our first New Clothing Drive was tremendous, providing 3,100 items of clothing. This year, we hope the awareness around National Foster Care Month and our efforts to promote the drives will enable us to exceed this number by almost double."

Beginning April 10th, and running through May 21st, 2006, Sleep Country USA encourages residents in both Washington and Oregon to bring new clothing items to any one of the company's more than 50 stores.