Many Poor Students Rely on Sweatshirts for Winter Wear

Monday 08th of November 2010 07:10:50 PM

Many Poor Students Rely on Sweatshirts for Winter Wear

You may love to wear your hoodies, but are probably lucky enough to have a coat to wear when it’s cold outside. Not everyone is so lucky. The recession has hit many households hard with one or both parents now unemployed for months and some for years. Living on unemployment checks doesn’t leave much money for clothes.

Teachers at an Omaha, Nebraska school noticed that some children were showing up for school wearing sweatshirts as coats. In case you aren’t familiar with this section of the United States, Nebraska is on what are called the Great Plains where the winter wind has no obstacles. It gets very cold and a winter coat is a necessity. Unfortunately, many families are having trouble buying their children clothes even though they outgrow their clothes rapidly.

Another sign many families are enduring hardship is the fact that more students are now eligible for the free school lunch program. In the Omaha middle school, 75 percent of the student population is on the free or reduced lunch program. In response to the need for food and clothing, teachers at the school set up a food and clothing pantry that can be accessed by students and the student’s families. The pantry accepts food items and clothing like hats, mittens, sweats, coats and jeans. The special education teacher, Abbie White, said, “We do a nutrition unit and some of my students don’t have items to write down for what they had for dinner, because they didn’t have dinner that night.”

Many of the local food bank shelves are empty as the recession takes its toll. With 10% unemployment in the U.S., there is a growing number of families in financial trouble. The generosity of neighbors, family member, and also teachers, is helping many households survive these difficult times. Omaha has 63 elementary schools and 10 of them have food pantries.