2025 has been good to Clothing Our Kids, and it’s only January.

The Millsboro-based non-profit has received a $15,000 grant from the Chichester duPont Foundation.

Bob Blouin, president of Clothing Our Kids, said it is one of the largest grants the organization has ever received.

The all-volunteer organization buys brand-new clothes and accessories to distribute to pre-K, kindergarten, Head Start, elementary and middle schools. It also serves Cape Henlopen, Sussex Central and Woodbridge high schools. Requests for items come from teachers who have identified children in need.       

Blouin said the money will allow Clothing Our kids to help more kids.

“This will allow us to add Seaford and Laurel high schools. High school clothes are expensive,” Blouin said.

Clothing Our Kids volunteers were busy on the week of Jan. 20 delivering new shoes to Sussex County schools.

The shoes went to students in need at Fred Thomas and Beacon middle schools and Rehoboth, Love Creek, Lewes, H.O. Brittingham and Milton elementary schools.

“One teacher told us the child she gave shoes to was so happy that they were actually new and still had the tags on them,” Blouin said. “This bond created between students and teachers is precious. It is what Clothing Our Kids does every day thanks to generous organizations.”

Daisies donate warm clothing

A warehouse full of clothes isn’t a typical place to hold a pizza party. But, the Clothing Our Kids headquarters turned out to be the perfect location for Daisy Scouts from Troop 193 in Milton.

The girls, who are all in either kindergarten or first grade, dropped off two bins of cold-weather clothing – hats, gloves, pajamas and more – Jan. 15, the result of their first clothing drive.

They started gathering clothes in December for a scouting service project. Bad Hair Day’s location at the Sussex Consortium served as the drop-off point.

“The girls got clothes donated. They went shopping, the girls and their families, and they collected all these clothes,” said Tonia Dusza, the Daisy troop leader and a stylist at Bad Hair Day. 

Dusza said inviting the girls to visit Clothing Our Kids is also a learning experience.

“It’s one thing when they just collect the clothes; it’s another thing when they can actually see the volume, and how many kids and families are in need,” she said.

The girls all received a warm clothing badge for the project.

Dusza said the idea for the service project came up during a conversation with Debbie Polise, who is one of her clients and Clothing Our Kids’ school liaison. 

“I asked if the kids ever had to do a service project. So, that’s what got us started. They jumped right in and it was really good,” Polise said.

Blouin said this was the first clothing drive where kids are helping kids.

“Now, we’re building this future community behind us that knows there are places like Clothing Our Kids,” Blouin said. “Schools have emergency funds for food and shelter, but not for clothes. So, teachers often use their own money. We tell them, ‘Let us do that.’”

He said there has been a large demand for winter clothes because of the cold weather. Bluoin said the organization recently received a large donation of winter coats from Mountaire Farms.

For more information on Clothing Our Kids and the new kids-helping-kids initiative, go to clothingourkids.org.