Meanwhile, Just Ten Miles Away

A member at our church, who teaches in Vista, came to us with an idea. Although to call it an "idea" makes it seem like something optional. Instead, this idea was based on a need - a need that can't be easily ignored.

The issue, this teacher shared with me, is that many kids at her school have been coming to school in the same clothes day after day, or in clothes that don't fit, or that don't work for play. She wondered if we might do a clothing drive to help out.

This school - where 95% of the kids come from families whose incomes are so low, the kids qualify for free or reduced hot lunch - is just ten miles away. Proximity should not be what makes one need more important than another, but in this case, the fact that this is happening nearly in our backyards makes this, I think, especially compelling.

We're not naming the specific elementary school because of the risk of stigmatizing them. But I realize by not naming it, we run the risk of painting all of Vista Public Schools with a broad brush. Let me assure you that is not our intention. I, in fact, live in Vista - and I like it. The fact that this need exists is not reflective of any inherent "less than" in Vista, or the quality of its schools, or the people who live there.

This need exists because some of the children at that school are in fact homeless. Others live in families who share homes with relatives. A great many just have parents who, despite working, don't earn enough to keep up in this expensive North Coastal region.

So the need exists. As winter settles in, some kids need jackets. Many can use new shoes. All of them simply need more - more shirts, pants, shorts. Siblings in middle school and preschool also need these things. So we'll be collecting kids' clothing of all sizes. Please no adult clothes, and - this hopefully goes without saying - please launder items before donating.

Some of the clothes collected will be donated; the rest will be sold at token prices, with funds benefiting the school's PTA, which will then turn around and pour those resources back into the school.

Please donate. But more than that, use this opportunity to teach your kids about generosity, and that we don't just give out of some abstract motivation to "do good". We give to meet real needs - sometimes far away, but sometimes just ten miles up the road.

Watch Mark's interview with Rebecca Tartre below: