Community support needed for school clothing and new shoes

It’s the beginning of August; temperatures are still in the 100s, and summer hardly feels over. Yet for many families across Pima County, the new school year has already begun. For some, it means checking supply lists, buying shoes that fit, and choosing the first-day outfit that helps a child walk into class with confidence. For too many local families, even that simple preparation is out of reach.

A clean shirt, sturdy shoes, and a backpack may seem ordinary, but to a child who has gone without, they can change how school feels. New clothes can help a student feel included rather than singled out, ready rather than embarrassed, and able to focus on learning rather than worrying about whether classmates will notice what they lack.

That is why our community should treat school clothing as an essential part of educational support, not an optional extra.

At VIVA PIMA!, we see this need every day through VIVA PIMA! Kids, which provides new school clothing, shoes, backpacks, socks, undergarments, and hoodies for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The children we serve attend Title I schools and are referred by educators and school staff who know which families are struggling most.

VIVA PIMA! Kids currently supports 43 schools across five districts and partners with Emerge and the Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. Last school year, the program provided brand-new school clothes to nearly 5,000 students, and additional schools are waiting to participate.

The numbers matter, but the stories explain the urgency. At one shopping event, a grandmother told us, “I never thought I’d be raising my grandkids. I love them, but it is hard to give them what they need.” At a Sunnyside Unified School District elementary school, a principal shared that 17 of 24 participating students were living in homeless shelters, and two were being raised by grandparents.

These are not isolated cases. Families throughout our region are making impossible choices among rent, utilities, food, transportation, medical needs, and the clothing children need to participate fully in school. When a child needs shoes that fit or clothing that meets school expectations, that need cannot wait.

School clothing also carries an emotional weight adults sometimes underestimate. Children know when their shoes are worn out, when their shirt does not fit, or when they cannot dress according to school expectations. Those feelings can affect attendance, classroom participation, peer relationships, and confidence.

Educators who refer families to VIVA PIMA! Kids tell us the difference is visible. Students arrive better prepared. They participate more comfortably. A backpack, shoes, and clothing chosen with care can communicate something powerful to a child: You belong here. Your community sees you. Your education matters.

VIVA PIMA! has served this community for 66 years, formerly as the Assistance League of Tucson and now as an independent local nonprofit. Every dollar contributed to support our programs stays here in Tucson, directly funding the needs of local children, adults, and families. This year, after 32 years of the Kids Program, we will serve the 100,000th student.

The work is volunteer-driven and community-funded. Our thrift shop, grants, and generous donors make it possible. Yet the need continues to grow, and the responsibility rests with all of us — businesses, foundations, neighbors, and anyone who believes that a child’s chance to learn should not depend on a family’s ability to buy new shoes.

We can choose to send a message of belonging. We can choose to invest in confidence, dignity, and educational readiness. We can choose to ensure that children in Pima County are not defined by what their families cannot afford.

New school clothes will not solve poverty by themselves, but they are a practical, immediate way to remove a barrier for children who already face too many. When we help a child walk into school prepared, we are doing more than providing clothing. We are affirming their worth.