GREENSBORO, N.C. — Making sure children have the school supplies they need is usually at the top of everyone's mind during this time of year.
Having the confidence to match is just as important.
Hanes Mall recognizes the mental connection between what children wear, their confidence, and their enthusiasm to learn.
To make sure students in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools have a successful school year, they’ve created a new program called Back-To-School Buddies.
Hanes Mall has partnered with the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club to make sure their 300 members have a good outfit and pair of shoes to start the school year on the right foot.
They came up with a creative way the community could help.
The mall installed a giant sneaker display on its lower level near the Dillard's entrance.
To make a difference, all you have to do is grab an envelope off the shoe, drop a gift card from one of the mall's retailers inside, and put it into the slot on the sneaker.
Bob Campbell with the Salvation Army said the gift cards will also go to children at the Center of Hope who attend school.
"Ninety percent of children who come to the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club are in families that are at or below the national poverty level," Campbell said. "Every child that lives in the Center of Hope is part of a homeless family who literally has nothing. Every gift card that goes in that giant sneaker will help a child have shoes, socks, and all things they need for school."
Campbell said he’s seen families of five walk into the shelter with everything they own in one suitcase.
Even with the existing programs to help students, about 65% of the children The Salvation Army serves, return to school without the necessary supplies and clothes they need.
"When you have decent clothes, you become just another kid, which is all these children want to be. If you're wearing a three times hand-me-down shirt, you become a target for bullying," Campbell said. "In the long term, this can make the entire school year for a child or even beyond the school year."
Hanes Mall hopes to deliver the Salvation Army with $3,000 in gift cards.
There's still time to help a child walk into school more confident and ready to learn.
This program will run through Labor Day weekend.