Assistance League of El Paso

OPERATION SCHOOL BELL, is in its 53rd year of service and provides free school clothing to the most economically-disadvantaged children attending all El Paso County public elementary schools. These are schoolchildren enrolled in first through fifth grade. The clothing provided is suitable for school and includes school uniforms if required. This past school year, 2,402, children were served and the goal for the coming year is to serve at least 3,000 children. Each child is provided with a pair of good quality shoes; 7 pair of socks; 6 pair of underwear; 3 pair of pants; 3 T- or polo shirts; and a hooded, zippered light jacket. If the school requires uniforms, the child is outfitted with the appropriate uniform in the school colors.

The third program is Assault Survivor Kits (ASK). Personal hygiene items and some simple clothing items are provided to sexual assault and/or rape victims (men, women and children) in the hospital (in collaboration with The Center Against Family Violence response services) when the clothing they are wearing has to be confiscated as evidence by the police.

PASO (Put A Smile On) Bear, the second philanthropic program administered by Assistance League, is a program that provides cuddly teddy bears to first-responder service agencies; such as police and fire departments and other agencies, so they may in turn hand them out to children involved in traumatic situations or, sometimes, to adults in the same circumstances.

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