About
500 back-to-schoolers gathered in San Juan Capistrano and San
Clemente earlier this month, stocking up on clothes and supplies
to start out the new school year. But they weren't doing
downtown shopping, they were at giveaways at St. Margaret's
Episcopal Church in Capistrano one day and at San Clemente's St.
Clement's Episcopal Church another.
``Our goal is to send children back to school feeling good
about themselves, enthusiastic,'' said Ettie Tregarthen,
co-chairwoman of the giveaway for the Episcopal Service
Alliance.
The ESA, a social service group serving Orange County, began
its giveaway 12 years ago at its Community Service Office in San
Clemente, serving 30 children the first year.
``We had families coming in ... `Where can we get school
clothes? Where can we get supplies?''' Tregarthen said.
Five years ago, she said, the program expanded to San Juan.
St. Margaret's church and school is the main source of support,
Tregarthen said,.
She said the school donates most of the clothes for the
giveaway and the church donates supplies and money. Also, more
than 75 volunteers from St. Margaret's participated in sorting,
boxing and distributing the clothes and supplies.
San Juan resident Nancy Dixon, a second-year giveaway
volunteer, finds the work very satisfying.
``I think it's incredible,'' she said. ``Look at this. To be
able to help kids the first day of school not have to worry
about what to wear.''
She said she was impressed with the program's ability to
donate even uniforms to students that attend schools that use
them.
Tregarthen said this year the San Clemente giveaways served
about 275 children and the San Juan giveaway helped about 225
children. Last year the group served about 525 children. She
said to serve the 500 children this year, the program required
more than 5,000 articles of donated clothing, 1,000 pairs of
socks, 1,000 sets of underwear, 800 pencils and pens, and lesser
amounts of crayons, erasers, scissors, glue sticks, notebooks,
binders, notebook paper, pencil cases, marking pens and more.
The program serves children ages 4 through 18, but Tregarthen
said they also have clothing for children 3 and under.
She said over the years, the average number of children per
family is three.
Parents signed up for the giveaway beforehand at Father
Serra's Food Pantry in San Juan and at the ESA Mobile Family
Service Van. Each child was given no more than two tops; two
bottoms; one jacket, sweatshirt or sweater; one pair of shoes;
and two socks or nightwear. Tregarthen said children in the
first, third, sixth and ninth grades received backpacks. She
said 4-year-olds and kindergartners received paper and marking
pens. And first through third-graders received pencil boxes with
pencils, crayons, scissors, glue sticks and erasers.
``We had enough things that we didn't run out of anything,''
she said.
And it's not for lack of demand.
San Clemente resident Maria Lopez has 10 grandchildren.
She said she started coming to the giveaway when it began
because she was raising five children at the time. She was at St.
Clement's Friday with a few of her grandchildren.
``What they give us is very good,'' she said in Spanish. ``It
helps our children -- backpacks, crayons, clothes.''