New clothes for North County youth in need

For some students, the difference in excelling in school and getting by could be as simple as feeling comfortable.Luckily in the North County, there's a group of volunteers who are stepping up to help out.This week, the Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County was busy organizing clothing for the group's annual clothing drive at San Benito Road Elementary School in Atascadero. The clothes, purchased at wholesale, will be distributed to the youth for the upcoming school year, giving students and helping hand as precarious economic time continue to permeate the state and nation.

According to organizers, the drive help fills a need in the community, providing students with the self-esteem that goes along with having a new outfit."We feel very strongly that in order for kids to learn, they need to not be concerned about what other kids are thinking of them," said Helen Robertson, a volunteer from Paso Robles.Robertson said that the clothing drive coincides with the league's primary mission, which is to dress children in need with brand new school clothes.According to Robertson, studies have shown that having clothes that like everyone else's allows children to fit in and concentrate on school.

The Assistance League plans on serving an estimated 1,500 family with the clothes. Being a countywide group, clothes will be divvied up equally among the North and South counties, in addition to the drive-out deliveries that members make to outlying areas like Shandon or San Miguel, where students may not necessarily be able to make the trip into Atascadero.