- August 23, 2024
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A group of 60 children will be getting new clothes for the upcoming school year thanks to the Best Food Forward project.
The Saturday, Aug. 12 project, put on by the Junior League of Daytona, will provide the students at Palm Terrace Elementary with new clothes, socks and and underwear while being provided with a free pizza lunch that day.
Junior League President Stephanie Coleman said the project, which has been in place for several years, used to take place at JCPenny where the students would go shopping.
However, because of a new dress and uniform code adopted by the School Board of Volusia County in 2016, the organization has had to change the way the event is run. The dress code includes three district-wide colors for polos and oxford shirts with schools permitted to selected up to two additional colors for collared shirts.
Coleman said the Junior League has previously partnered with Palm Terrace, along with other schools, to provide clothes to the students. She said when the organization reached out to the schools they found out Palm Terrace still had a need for uniforms for their students.
"The goal of it is to give kids back to school clothes," Coleman said. "So they start out with their best foot going into school."
According to Coleman, the majority of the volunteers at the Junior League are from the Port Orange to Ormond area. Money to buy the clothes is raised throughout the year by way of sponsors, the thrift store and fundraisers, such as the Sweetheart Ball.
Coleman said this kind of event is what is at the center of Junior league—improving the lives of women and children in the area. She said when a child is at school and they can dress like the other students, it takes away any fear they might have if they didn't have the right clothes. Coleman added that because they're not worrying about how they are dressed it makes it easier for them to concentrate on going to school to learn.
When it comes to the Volusia volunteers, Coleman said the event is a special day for the people involved.
"This is the event that our members just love," Coleman said. "Our members love going and seeing the kids faces when they get the new clothes so it's just one of those events where you're giving but you're getting more than you give. It's very rewarding."
