'Clothes to Kids' lending a helping hand to families on a tight budget

TAMPA, Fla. - There is help for families trying to stretch their budget through Clothes to Kids.

Jennifer Turkel enjoys her time volunteering for Clothes To Kids.

"I think it's a great service that's offered," said Jennifer. "So, I enjoy being a part of it."

She's been at the Hillsborough branch since it opened in 2017. 

They provide free clothing for children whose families are on a tight budget.

"It's a wonderful thing to help kids get some clothes that they might not be able to get, uniforms for school, so for me, it's a win, win," Jennifer said.

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Kelly Rebbecchi is another volunteer who sees the good they're doing.

Some of the options available at "Clothes to Kids"

"I think that it's worthwhile to have a place where kids can come and try stuff on and feel like they are picking stuff out that they enjoy," says Kelly. 

They sort donations, check out shoppers and shop along with shoppers.

"They simply help the organization run," said Executive Director Clothes To Kids, Jennifer Jacobs.

"If we didn't have them, we wouldn't be able to do our mission as effectively as we do."

A mission that started after two friends came together in 2002 to buy a jacket for a student who didn't have one. Now, 21 years later.

They have given more than 190 thousand wardrobes.

Volunteers like Kelly and Jennifer help make the mission go day in and day out.

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"We have had so many families, I've probably lost track that we service our children from pre-K four through 12th grade," Jacobs said.

And the need hasn't stopped.

"We're serving more students this year than ever before, and we need extra hands and extra support to go through our clothes," Jacobs explained.

They need more hands because children get a free week's worth of school clothes.

"Children are eligible to shop for a pair of shoes, five new pairs of socks, five new pairs of underwear, four bottoms, five tops, a dress, a jacket in season, and fun accessories as those are available," Jacobs said.

Clothes to Kids helps students look good and helps their self-esteem. 

So that they can have a successful school year, they are always looking for more help.