Nonprofits unite to kids returning to school

COEUR d’ALENE — The Salvation Army Kroc Center and St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho are combining efforts to help kids.

This Saturday, 35 children identified by St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho will shop with their parents at the Coeur d’Alene Target for back-to-school outfits.

Over the course of this school year, three outings will take place, serving children in need of basic clothing supplies, a press release said.

The Salvation Army’s Clothe a Child program has been operating in Coeur d’Alene since 2010, serving over 150 elementary and middle school students each year throughout Kootenai County.

In 2019 St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho launched its “Back to School with Blessings” program, matching children connected with St. Vincent to area leaders for a day of shopping fun.

Clothe a Child donors support The Kroc Center’s program with about $25,000 in donations each year. In addition to the shopping opportunities provided to the children identified by St. Vincent de Paul, The Kroc Center will provide items to area elementary schools that offer “clothing closets” for the children in need attending school and to those families identified through The Kroc’s Community Outreach Program.