Lions’ Share Lions Club Raises Thousands Of Dollars To Help Buy Clothing For North Side Needy

Teresa Arndt’s children should be happy today.

Santa was good to them.

The single mom of five had dozens of presents for her kids to open, even though she is limited at Christmas by her small income.

The Arndt family was one of 65 helped this year by members of the Spokane Suburban North Lion’s Club.

The club sponsored a family shopping day at the NorthPointe Target store recently to make sure the families all have merry feelings in their homes today.

“It means my kids can have a good Christmas and have clothes on their backs for school,” said Arndt.

“It’s really a warm feeling.”

The club raises money throughout the year to pay for the gifts and donates $75 for each child in a family. The money is limited to clothing purchases.

Arndt, 30, has three boys and two girls ranging in age from two to 13. That made her eligible for $375.

She spent the money like it was her own. She passed up the regular-price racks and scoured the clearance items for the best deals on warmups, shoes, pants, even socks and underwear.

This is a woman who is accustomed to shopping at thrift stores or taking advantage of hand-me-downs. She’s been doing it for a long time. She said she’s been virtually on her own since the age of 11.

It took her more than three hours to thoughtfully fill her shopping cart at Target. She said she was trying to find a happy medium between her children’s desire to look stylish and her need to make the most of the Lions’ help.

“We want to spend it wisely,” Arndt said.

The Lions raised $13,000 this year to buy winter clothes for 175 low-income students in the Mead, Colbert and Loon Lake areas.

“It is such a dedicated club, I have never worked with so many wonderful people,” said Mary Phillips, who organizes the winter clothing program. “It’s especially heartwarming to see the men get so excited about buying clothes for these kids.”

Money is raised year-round for the program. There are poinsettia sales, golf tournaments, a Christmas party sharing tree, Entertainment book sales and raffles for handcrafted clocks, children’s rocking chairs and rocking horses.

The Lions started the program about 10 years ago, raising $500 to help a few families.

Children needing warm clothes are selected by social workers and teachers in the school district.

“They are just so generous,” Kathy Bohlen, a social worker at Shiloh Hills Elementary, said about the Lions. “They treat people so respectfully, I love the whole process.”

Bolin said it’s critical for students to have warm clothes.

“If kids are going to do well in school, they have to be warm and dry. That’s basic,” she said.

Melissa Pitts, a social worker for Mead School District, said she especially likes the way the Lion’s Club helps the families.

“It’s an extremely dignified process,” she said.

A few weeks before Christmas, Lions Club members met the children’s parents at Target. Parents do the shopping, Lion’s Club pays the bill.

In addition, Target usually gives the shoppers an additional discount.

Like Arndt, most parents fill their baskets with boots, shoes, coats, hats, gloves and underwear.

“They are so respectful of what they should buy,” said Phillips. “They really concentrate on needs instead of wants.”

Usually the parents go home and wrap the clothes as Christmas presents for their children.

At the end of her long morning of shopping, Arndt drew a deep, but exhausted breath.

“It was well worth it,” Arndt said. “The smiling faces will be even more worth it on Christmas Day.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: OTHER GROUPS GIVE TO NEEDY AT CHRISTMAS The Lions Club isn’t the only organization that helps low-income people at Christmas. Here is a partial list of churches and community centers that offer food baskets, meals or gifts during the holidays: The Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center: presents and meals to about 250 families. Cheney Food Bank: food boxes. Central United Methodist Church: Christmas dinner. Full Gospel Mission, 1912 E. First: children’s program the Friday before Christmas. Our Place, 1018 N. Elm: turkeys. St. Anne’s Church, 2120 E. First: holiday dinner, Sunday at 1 p.m. St. Charles Church, 4515 N. Alberta: Christmas Day dinner at noon. Union Gospel Mission: Christmas Day brunch at 10 a.m. and dinner at 5:45 p.m. Valley Center: food baskets and gifts. Zion Lutheran Church, Deer Park: Christmas baskets.