Clarkston Rotary Club needs volunteers this holiday season to help local kids in need.
“This year we will have over 500 Clarkston school children receiving new shoes, winter boots, gloves and hats,” said Rotarian Joel DeLong.
Volunteers are needed for the newspaper sales on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 2-3. Sign ups will be in two hour shifts and people may sign up for more than one shift.
All donations will be spent on Shoes for Kids, Dec. 10, at Oakland Woods Baptist Church, 5628 Maybee Road, providing new winter boots, shoes, socks, hats and gloves to Clarkston Community Schools children in need.
“Children are excited to receive the shoes and boots,” he said. “I’ve spoken to parents who wrap them up as Christmas presents. Some see Clarkston as affluent, but we have the same needs as any other community.”
Also, Clarkston Area Lions club will be hosting a free Project KidSight eye testing for children 6 months-5 year old of those families invited to the Shoe distribution.
Clarkston Optimist Club will be sponsoring their OptiSocks distribution during the event as well, and several knitting and sewing groups will donate hand made scarves and hats.
Donations to the “Shoes for Kids” program can be sent to Clarkston Rotary “Shoes for Kids,” P.O. Box 43, Clarkston, MI 48347.
“For a lot of us, we need a new pair of shoes, we go out and buy them,” he said. “But the reality is many families must decide between housing and food, shoes and boots have to wait.”
Many previous recipients are not on the list this year, DeLong said.
“I think their families probably left the state because of its economic climate,” he said. “We have all new families. We’ve never seen so many kids signed up.”
For more information, call Joel or Mindy DeLong at 248-625-9741 or email mindyjoel@aol.com.