We accept donations throughout the year for Children’s Shopping Spree and all donations, big or small, are greatly appreciated!
Each year across the nation, children start or return to school- many of these children do so with no school supplies, old clothes, and a sense of not fitting in.
Active 20-30’s national project is a back to school shopping event to help underprivileged children start the school year off with the tools necessary for success. Petaluma Active 20-30 #30, Active 20-30 Sebastopol #63, and Active 20-30 of the North Bay #656 work together each year to take children from our respective communities on this back to school shopping spree. In 2019, Petaluma #30 sponsored 65 local kids, and our clubs combined helped more than 140 children start their school year with confidence in brand new clothes.
Each child is partnered with an Active 20-30 personal shopper with $160 to spend on clothes, shoes and jackets for the start of the school year. With early bird specials, clearance racks and an additional 15% off at the cash register at Kohl’s in Petaluma, we are able to provide these children with an ample amount of quality clothing that will last them throughout the school year.
When shopping is complete with each child they then have the opportunity to get their haircut by a volunteer hair stylist. Once the new clothes have been purchased and a new haircut has been provided, the children can enjoy a delicious breakfast. The children are also given a brand new backpack full of school supplies including crayons, colored markers, paper, pencils, erasers, rulers, tape, binders and more!
In 2020, the pandemic prevented us from holding the event as we normally would- but Children’s Shopping Spree is one of the most impactful (and rewarding) events we do each year, and it was important to our Petaluma club members that we still be able to help local kids feel confident for the new school year- even if they are distance learning! We reimagined the event, reached out to community partners to connect with families, and gathered information so that our members could shop for the kids based on sizes and personal style; then, we delivered the clothes directly to the families, along with backpacks full of school supplies, and bags of food generously donated by the Redwood Empire Food Bank. In all, we were able to support 38 Petaluma kids and their families.
Petaluma Active 20-30 specifically sponsors children from our local outreach partners, including Mentor Me, COTS, and Sonoma County 4 C’s. Unfortunately, we can not accept individual requests.
If you are interested in sponsorship or to get involved with this fantastic event, please email us at petaluma2030@gmail.com.
