Operation Head to Toe Seeks to Clothe Children in Poverty

If you would like to help needy children in this community then you’re encouraged to support “Operation Head to Toe”, a faith-based initiative to assist families who struggle financially.
“Operation Head To Toe” uses donated funds to purchase new school clothes for children.
Betty Turner, Director of Operation Head to Toe, says “many children in our community live in poverty. It is never the children who are at fault, however they suffer the consequences. They come to school in second-hand outfits that are worn and tattered before they even receive them. We may understand what it is like to do without, but very few of us know the vicious cycle of poverty. It affects the human spirit, leaving children with a low self-image and little hope. Some children can’t even imagine what it would be like to have new clothes that fit properly.”
“Together, we want to break this cycle of poverty. We want to provide a ray of hope to lift the spirits of children, and to help them realize they are members of a community that cares for them.”
Operation Head to Toe is a faith-based initiative whose mission is to work in conjunction with the educators of the DeKalb County School System to identify children and youth who have almost nothing in the way of clothing. Once these children and youth are selected, volunteers work with the families to purchase $150 worth of clothes per child.
In 2004, Jeanni Watson, the founder, had this idea to help these children. She received a gift of one hundred dollars in seed money, and Operation Head to Toe began.
That first year, Operation Head to Toe distributed $9,000 of new clothing to children in DeKalb County. In 2008, with the help of over 400 volunteers, donors and educators, Operation Head to Toe received over $15,000 and clothed 118 children. Operation Head to Toe is now part of the DeKalb County Foundation for Education, with a board of directors to help give guidance.
Turner says “in order to allow Operation Head to Toe to continue to be a success story in DeKalb County, we need your help”. The 2009 fall distribution campaign is underway. Operation Head to Toe’s connection with the DeKalb County Foundation for Education allows your contributions to be tax-deductible. Donations by check should be made payable to Operation Head to Toe. The mailing address is Operation Head to Toe, P.O. Box 372, Smithville, Tennessee 37166.
For more information, call 597-1220 or 597-5920 or email aubr@dtccom.net