Kids hit the shelves for KIRO 7′s Back to School Shopping Fundraiser with Salvation Army

FACTORIA, Wash. — KIRO 7 is helping families get ready to head back to school, as we partner with the Salvation Army to give local kids everything need for the classroom.

We were in Factoria on Thursday, where over 100 kids hit the shelves at Old Navy. Each of them got $150 to buy whatever they wanted with 10% off their entire purchase, but this was a math equation they didn’t have solve alone.

Shopper Kailynne and Bellevue Police Officer Joe Nault’s prime factor was making sure whatever she bought, it came in pink. They were one of 125 pairs of kids and volunteers, who are providing solutions for a different kind of math problem for families getting ready to send kids back to school.

“Parents are pressing the panic button when school’s about to start,” Salvation Army Northwest Division Major Terry Masango said. “Should they buy clothes or pay rent?”

“Sometimes kids are also aware of the clothes they’re wearing,” Masango added. “Some are wearing hand-me-downs or old clothes.”

That wasn’t the case for any of the kids we saw on Thursday, each of whom had their own volunteer, including our own Linzi Sheldon, who was paired with 14-year-old Interlake High School freshman Dulce.

“I’m like excited because it’s something new, but I’m nervous at the same time because it’s something new!” Dulce told us.

Perhaps most importantly, though, this is an event about getting kids what they want and need to start the school year right.

“I’m sure many people remember their first day of school,” Masango said. “There’s always a lot of anxieties about new friends, new classes, new teachers, maybe even a new school. It also helps them achieve better in school when they’re not concentrating about what they lack.”

“I feel grateful because I know a lot of people dont get these opportunities that I do,” Dulce said. “That’s what my mom always used to tell me: be grateful for what you have. And then, well, I am!”

This is just the first shopping event KIRO 7 is partnering with the Salvation Army for. Next week, we’ll be in Marysville and Tukwila. For more details, you can head to this page.

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