First Lady Donates Toys, Clothes to Poor

Declaring that Americans “have got to help the working poor,” First Lady Barbara Bush visited a thrift shop Friday, bringing along a donation of six bags of old toys and clothes from her family and staff.

Seeking to encourage volunteerism, Mrs. Bush toured part of the United Community Ministries facility, a nonprofit organization that offers a store, food pantry, medical clinics, day care, legal counseling and financial assistance. About three-fourths of those served by the facility are the working poor and 48 of the 60 children in the day care center are from households headed by a woman.

So far as First Lady, Mrs. Bush has made two official public outings, both to charity facilities that help the poor.

At the large thrift shop, Mrs. Bush viewed secondhand clothes, shoes, appliances, books and jewelry on sale at minimal prices. She met several volunteers who work for the facility, including 78-year-old Jessie Starke, who has worked there 11 years.

“Eleven years! That is wonderful!” Mrs. Bush declared.

Mrs. Bush met privately with executive director Sharon Kelso, who said that the First Lady wanted to know what the biggest problems are for those who use the facility.

Kelso said that she discussed lack of affordable housing and the need to increase the minimum wage with the wife of the President.

Mrs. Bush expressed interest in those problems but said that “she doesn’t lobby Congress,” Kelso said.

Mrs. Bush had visited the facility in 1984, “and the first thing she said when she sat down was, ‘My, how you’ve grown!’ ” Kelso said.

Kelso said she is not concerned that Mrs. Bush’s efforts to focus attention on successful volunteer projects might send the message that more volunteerism is all that is needed to solve the problems of poor Americans.

“I don’t have any problem with it at all,” Kelso said. “She’s more interested in helping identify places where people can volunteer their time.”

Mrs. Bush also met several preschoolers, who presented her with handmade books, including one book about gingerbread man and another about a plane crash.

“I’ll read these when I get home,” she said. Another child presented her with a mock tally of a presidential election, showing George Bush the clear winner.

“That makes me feel wonderful,” she said.

Later in the day, in an interview with the Associated Press, Mrs. Bush was asked whether she favors enactment of laws banning the sale to the public of military assault weapons. Measures to outlaw the manufacture, sale or possession of a variety of guns are pending in Congress. It was a Chinese AK-47 assault rifle that a gunman used to kill five Stockton, Calif., school children last month.

Mrs. Bush said that she thought such weapons already were outlawed. “They should be, absolutely,” she said.