ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – There is good news for school children in need in Belmont County with the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services Director Jeff Felton announcing a new partnership with the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley and Community Action Commission of Belmont County to pay for school clothing for eligible students.
Felton made the announcement at Wednesday’s Belmont County Board of Commissioners meeting where he was joined by Staci Stephen, Executive Director of the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley and Alaire King, Executive Director of the Community Action Commission of Belmont County.
Felton said Belmont County DJFS’s school clothing voucher program was canceled in July due to administrative issues including federal government changes in SNAP (food stamps) administration. Felton said he reached out to the United Way for help after seeing flyers for their Lace up for Kids shoes program. The United Way will run the program while Belmont County DJFS will fund it with Temporary Aid to Needy Family (TANF) dollars and a contribution from the Community Action Commission.
Stephen said she was happy to help Belmont County with the project.
“So when we heard the clothing vouchers weren’t going to happen this year, originally we were trying to brainstorm a way that we could help the kids in Belmont County get some clothing for the new school year. We already do the Lace Up For Kids program throughout the seven counties we serve to provide brand new tennis shoes to kids returning to school, so when Belmont County Job and Family Services contacted us about partnering with them in order to make this happen, we were more than happy to do that,” Stephen explained.
Felton said the agencies worked together and modeled the school clothes program on a food program the Belmont County Farm Bureau runs to provide backpacks filled with non-perishable food items to students.
Felton said he expects the program to help about 800 students buy school clothes. The previous school voucher program served around 1,200 students each year. Each student will receive around $200 for clothing.
Felton said that Belmont County DJFS also reached out to other DJFS county agencies in Ohio to ask if they would like to transfer any unused TANF money they have to Belmont County. Felton said Belmont County will apply any additional money from other counties to the school clothing program.
You can apply for school clothing assistance on the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley website.
Applications open Wednesday, Aug. 5 and will be accepted through Aug. 19. Applications are income based under TANF guidelines and will be first-come, first served, Felton explained.
There is also a QR code on the website for members of the public to scan if they would like to make a direct donation for children’s school clothes, Stephen added.
Felton said he will later announce shopping days for stores participating at the Ohio Valley Mall.
