Hundreds of Children Enjoy Back-to-School Shopping Spree

August was a tremendous month for hundreds of children served by The Salvation Army. Thanks to two back-to-school shopping programs – Leaders Launching Learners (L3) and Target School Spree – all of them will be walking into their first day of class with brand new clothes and school supplies.

L3 was held the morning of Aug. 22 at 11 retail stores in the Twin Cities metro area (view photos). Crowds of volunteers helped more than 850 children of low-income families shop for $100 worth of new back-to-school clothes. Each volunteer escorted one or two children through aisles of clothing and helped them pick out shirts, pants and shoes.

“We smiled all the way through that Saturday morning, afternoon and evening,” said volunteer Ryder Hill, who escorted three children with her husband, Clayton, at the Kohl’s department store in Bloomington. “(The kids) touched us in a way we hadn’t been touched before. Three hours on a Saturday morning, and (my husband) claimed it was one of the greatest things he’d ever done. I agree.”  

Among the other volunteers was former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Randal McDaniel, who showed up at the Midway Wal-Mart in St. Paul.

“This is a wonderful program,” McDaniel, who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame last month, said while shopping with a little boy named Chang. “And Chang – he’s great. We’re having some fun today.”

Target School Spree took place Aug. 11, when 200 children shopped for $100 worth of clothing and school supplies at seven Target locations in the Twin Cities metro area with the help of a local law enforcement officer (view photos).

Among the officers was Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan, who helped a five-year-old boy named Raymond shop at the Target in downtown Minneapolis.

“I think this is great – Raymond and I are having a really good time,” said Dolan, while Raymond perused shirts from inside the shopping cart.

Target School Spree and L3 are important because the children they serve come from families that cannot afford back-to-school supplies. In addition, Target School Spree showed children that police officers are good people – many of the kids live in crime-ridden neighborhoods and view police officers as adversaries.

“This outreach has proved to be invaluable to families coming to us in crisis,” said Major Darryl Leedom, Commander of the Twin Cities Salvation Army. “During these trying economic times, practical help for families is our most critical service.”

Target School Spree took place in 10 U.S. markets served by The Salvation Army. In each market, Target gave The Salvation Army a $25,000 grant to pay for $20,000 worth of Target gift cards and $5,000 to cover transportation. More than 80 Target stores across the country participated, including those in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami, New York, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., and Seattle.