Jalesia Allen looks over the new clothes her children, Janiah, left, and Jaiden tried on during the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Uniforms for Kids distribution. Photo by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator

By: Debbie Shelley / The Catholic Commentator

It was the excitement of back to school shopping for school clothes, at least for girls, who walked out of the dressing rooms and twirled with delight in their new uniforms. The boys tended to roll their eyes and groan when sent back to try on another set of clothes.

But even more noticeable was the look of relief and gratitude on the faces of parents and caregivers coming to the Uniforms for Kids distribution at the St. Vincent de Paul Store on Plank Road in Baton Rouge.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society provides uniforms for children who will attend Head Start through eighth-grade in the East Baton Rouge public and charter schools. Since July 10, the St. Vincent de Paul Society has distributed about 3,000 uniforms to families who qualified based on their income, said Cheryl Scott, administrative assistant for Uniforms for Kids for SVDP. Once school starts, left over uniforms will be given to the schools for the guidance counselors to give to children in need.

“Our goal is to give out 8,000 uniforms,” said Scott.
The children each received two sets of uniforms, one for warm and one for cold weather.

“I think this gives the kids a sense of ‘everybody’s wearing the same thing.’ They are not out of place. It builds their self-esteem,” said Scott. “I’ve seen plenty of smiles. When we pack the bags, each child wants their own bag…They say, ‘I’m going to start school in my new uniform.’”

Hilda Carrier, who is caring for two foster children, was thankful for the uniforms.

She had three foster children when floodwaters damaged her home in north Baton Rouge in the flood of 2016.

“We lost everything,” said Carrier. “I was at a crossroads of having to return the kids to the foster care system for financial reasons. But I prayed about it, and God revealed to me that I didn’t need to put the kids through more trauma because they had been through the flood with me. By sending them back, it would have been devastating for them.”

And the recovery is still ongoing for Carrier.

“But with the help of St. Vincent de Paul I was able to clothe them for another school year. I don’t know where I would be without them. Because I don’t want them to go back to school looking like foster children. I want them to go back looking like my own kids. And I was able to do that with the help of St. Vincent de Paul,” said Carrier with misty eyes.

Her face brightened as she noted that one of the three foster children was placed for adoption and her daughter is in the process of adopting the other two children.

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Source: Frederic’s E-Gazette 8/23/18