The effort to get children back to school without losing their sanity and emptying their wallets can be a daunting task for many parents struggling in a down economy. One new organization is poised to change that with Southern Maryland’s first ever free school clothes giveaway.
Wish List of Smiles, Inc. is a brand new Maryland corporation created with one goal in mind – put people with excess or no-longer-wanted supplies, such as school clothes, in touch with people who need them. Founder, Terry Haley raising three school-aged children goes through the back-to-school hassle and frustration every summer as her children get ready for the coming school year. “Most parents experience this. They have children who have out grown last year’s clothes and need to get new clothes for the next school year. This can add up to a lot of money and time. I thought this might be a way for those outgrown and unwanted clothes to go directly to people who need them,” said Haley.
For this first year, Haley has decided to hold a simple collection and giveaway at her store in Mechanicsville – Boatman’s Mini Mart. “Starting on Sunday, June 1 through Friday, July 18 people can drop off their donated school clothes. They need to be clean and neat. “We’ll warehouse the clothes for the giveaway which will be held on two days – August 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and August 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” said Haley. “Hopefully people will feel generous and provide a lot of nice clean school clothes for people in need.”
Boatman’s Mini Mart is located at 41106 Oakville Rd., Mechanicsville, MD 20659. You can reach WISH LIST OF SMILES with any questions at 240.561.9033. The store’s hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The Wish List of Smiles Web site is currently under construction, but should be up and available by June 1
