School uniforms for people gripped by cost-of-living crisis
published on 26 Jul 2023
Brand new school uniforms available for free for families gripped by the cost-of-living crisis
The Salvation Army in Penrith is offering free school uniform to families that need support as the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect many across the Cumbrian community.
With shirts, polo tops, shorts, trousers, pinafore and summer dresses all in new and unused condition available, families can access key uniform staples from the church and charity, located on Hunter Lane, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays each week whilst stocks last.
The items available cover all ages, from two-year-olds in nursery to 16-year-olds in high school, and also cover all seasons, as demand for help increases with more people than ever struggling to make ends meet.
Major Carole Donaldson, church leader of The Salvation Army Penrith said: “The school summer holidays already bring added expense to families and to then face extra outgoings for mandatory uniforms that children require for the new school year, it can be very costly.
“We’re a church which understands the importance of working within the local community and we wanted to offer something that people can find useful, taking the pressure and stress away, as well as building on the existing relationships that we have with families in the area and creating new ones. This also gives us the opportunity to open our doors and see how we can offer support in many other ways too.”
The uniform project is another way in which The Salvation Army in Penrith supports people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis as more people than ever are pushed into poverty. The church and charity will also be providing baby children, maternity and adult clothing alongside the uniform project and also runs a food bank which offers food parcel support via a referral three days a week.
For anyone looking to support The Salvation Army in its work in Penrith, a Just Giving page is available at www.justgiving.com/penrith-salvation-army and whilst donations of all sizes are welcomed, people are encouraged to donate only what they can afford.
