With the first day of school in the Woodland Joint Unified School District set for Wednesday, 80 local children from low-income families were able to get some much-needed back-to-school clothes during the Salvation Army’s annual shopping spree event at JCPenny.
Along with the vital shopping spree in the store’s parking lot located at 1260 E. Gibson Road Saturday morning, participating families were also treated to an eye exam in the Woodland Host Lions Vision Van, a pair of shoes provided by either the Soroptimist International of Woodland or the Woodland Police Department’s Police Activities League and delicious pancake and sausage breakfast cooked and served by The Kiwanis Club of Woodland and Reveille Lions Club respectively.
Edward Jones provided a backpack filled with supplies.
“I am so excited to be here,” said Stephanie Lopez Vassar, a field representative for the Salvation Army branch in Yolo County. “The event grows every year. Many families are overwhelmed by the rising prices of everything, including food, so it is a huge relief to us to be able to come in with all of these other great local organizations and provide the parents and their kids with new school clothes, shoes and a backpack with supplies.
“We can’t do it alone. Not one organization can do it alone as it takes all of us that are here to provide the assistance we want to provide.”
Vasser mentioned that preparations began at 7 a.m., with a clean-up period taking place at 11:30 a.m. following the 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. event.
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Essential items purchased included pants, t-shirts, underclothes, belts and anything else that added to the allotted $125 per child. Funding for the event came courtesy of $3,500 from The Woodland Kiwanis, up $500 over last year, along with Salvation Army Bell Ringing profits from the 2023 Salvation Army Kettle Campaign.
During the event, registration began at 8 a.m., and volunteers started chaperoning kids around the store in shifts at 9 a.m. to avoid overloading the store. After the first shift, the second shift entered while the first shift members walked into the Lions Club Vision Van for an exam.
After being light on volunteer shoppers last year, this year’s uptick in volunteerism was attributed to help from members of other local organizations such as the Sunrise Rotary Club, Holy Rosary Chapel, Life Pointe Church, and Life Point East Church.
“I’m in awe of everyone who has come out,” she said. “In the past few years, we have been light on volunteers, but we have so many this year. More and more people are finding out what our programs do, hopefully encouraging them to help us with the Salvation Army’s Bell Ringing Season. If someone wants to help us out, they can also contact our local office.”
If any families are interested in participating next year, Vasser strongly encourages them to sign up for next year’s event by calling or visiting a local Salvation Army office by April 2025.
Families that participated in the previous year’s events will not qualify.
“I think this event today is great,” said the Kiwanis Club of Woodland President Steve Barzo. “I know we do $125 this year, but we are already considering increasing it to at least $150 next year due to inflation.”
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