Helping Holiday: Note in the Pocket provides clothes to impoverished kids

It started nearly a decade ago with a teacher's efforts to provide her students, who came mostly from impoverished homes, a warm coat for the winter. Through family and friends, she collected enough coats to dole them out to her class.

From then on, the clothes went out with an actual note in the pocket, explaining that the item was just for that child and that they are loved. Today, Note in the Pocket has grown from serving just one classroom to an entire county. The group provides poor and homeless children with a mini wardrobe of clothes that are appropriate for school - from new and gently used pants, shirts and shoes to new socks and underwear.

The need is absolutely overwhelming. Referrals from Wake County guidance counselors and other agencies has exploded in recent months - reaching 425 in the month of October alone. In fact, Bonavita said the group had to stop taking referrals for one week that month because of the demand. All told, 52,000 children in Wake County qualify for Note in the Pocket's services.

Bonavita hears stories of Wake County children who arrive at school with worn and dirty clothes. In some cases, they wear the same outfit again and again. Shirts are too short. Shoes have holes. Note in the Pocket provides a child with about a two-week wardrobe of clothes that they can wear to school.

"I was surprised that our biggest job is to educate Wake County that we have homeless and impoverished children in Wake County," Bonavita said. "People don't know how bad it is."

Because they want the children to be excited about the clothes they receive, Note in the Pocket is picky about what they send out. Bonavita said that, often, donors will clean out their closets and simply ship it all to the charity. In the end, Note in the Pocket volunteers spend countless hours sorting through those donations. About 40 percent are in nice enough condition to be distributed to children. The rest are passed on to other groups.

"We provide with dignity and love," Bonavita said. "There's no dignity in pulling out somebody's dirty old something."

The group really focuses on clothes that children can wear to school. Pajamas, cleats, bathing suits or holiday T-shirts, for instance, only are included if there is room in the bag.