Operation School Bell Helps Students Who Lack Clothing, Essentials

The little girl with the size 4 feet crammed into size 1 shoes. The siblings who came to school on alternate days because they had to share a single set of clothing. The shivering boy whose family could not afford a jacket.

In the 35 years since the Assistance League of Southern California founded Operation School Bell to clothe needy children, the volunteers have seen it all.

“We’ve had such a variety of situations, and we have seen such extreme need,” said Suzanne Kahane, Operation School Bell vice chairman.

With help from corporate and individual donors, Operation School Bell dispenses a week’s worth of school clothing, plus toiletries, a book, a toy and a backpack to needy youngsters in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Teachers and counselors identify children in desperate straits, and they are brought to the Assistance League’s Hollywood headquarters, where a volunteer helps each child “shop” in a store-like setting for a jacket, a pair of shoes, five sets of socks and underwear, a sweatsuit, two school uniforms and two additional outfits suitable for school. The volunteer spends at least 45 minutes with each child, from preschool through high school, to help with the choices and to make sure the clothes fit properly.

Children usually arrive at the program’s “store” a few at a time during weekdays by appointments made about a month in advance. For many, the visit marks the first time they have shopped for new clothes or had their own toiletries or even a jacket they haven’t had to share with a brother or sister.

But with the holidays fast approaching and a growing waiting list, Operation School Bell volunteers decided to try something different.

Today, they plan to outfit more than 100 children from five Los Angeles Unified elementary schools. The district will provide bus transportation for the children, who will arrive throughout the day to “shop” and feast on refreshments donated by Ralphs markets.

“We’re so thrilled to be able to do this, but the need is so great, we are always looking for ways to help more children. There really is no season for this kind of need,” Kahane said. More information about the organization, which accepts “gently used clothing,” is available on its Web site https://www.operationschoolbell.org or by calling (323) 469-6017.

The Los Angeles Times is highlighting local programs and organizations that serve needy youths and families in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Operation School Bell is eligible for aid from the newspaper’s Holiday Campaign, which raises money for worthy programs in Southern California. The campaign is a part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, which includes the newspaper’s long-running Summer Camp Program.

The McCormick Tribune Foundation will match the first $500,000 in donations at 50 cents on the dollars, and The Times will absorb all administrative costs for the campaign.

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