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Fashion industry helps power shelters across the country

Like many hard-working individuals this past year, Monica Campos and her husband of Los Angeles, C.A., suddenly found themselves without work and then, soon after, without housing. With two young children to care for, it was a dire situation.

"It has been very a stressful and hard year. We had to live on whatever money we had saved, and that did not last long," Campos says.

The Campos are not alone in their struggles in Los Angeles. Over 12.7% of residents in L.A. County are without jobs, and 1 in 5 children are currently living in poverty there.

Looking to quickly get their family back on their feet and into housing, the Campos family found their way to L.A. Family Housing (Comunidad Cesar Chavez), a shelter in Los Angeles, and, through it, a wealth of services.

"The shelter has been very helpful," says Campos. "They have helped us apply for welfare, begin the job hunting process and have even provided clothing for my children."

As a member of the Shelter Partnership network in Los Angeles, L.A. Family Housing is able to provide its 88 residents with case management services, permanent housing assistance, and clothing. The clothing, in fact, is an essential aspect of the support services, and thanks to the fashion industry, it is available to shelter residents year-round.

Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.), a twenty-four year-old global charity of leading retailers, manufacturers, and licensors of children's and youth products, and Fashion Delivers, a four-year old non-profit, work together to solicit excess new merchandise from industries that make children's, adult and home furnishings products. As a result of these efforts, they annually distribute $62 million of donated goods through a network of more than 1,000 community charities like Shelter Partnership throughout the U.S.

"We recently did an event with K.I.D.S. and Fashion Delivers and had an incredible amount of apparel available for shelter residents and their children. The families were just thrilled that they were getting these much-needed new items," say Ruth Schwartz, founder and Executive Director of Shelter Partnership. "One man told me how great it was to have a nice new suit for an interview that he had recently gone on."

K.I.D.S. and Fashion Delivers rely on the support of the fashion industry to help families like the Campos. In fact, four fashion industry leaders were recently recognized in New York City this past Wednesday at the K.I.D.S. and Fashion Delivers Annual Gala for their outstanding philanthropic commitment.

Gary Simmons, CEO of Gerber Childrenswear LLC, and this year's recipient of the K.I.D.S. Lifetime Achievement Award, shared his thoughts on the work he's done as a long-time supporter of K.I.D.S.: "As a board member, I get to visit our partner organizations twice a year to audit our progress. It's incredible to see how much this program is helping. You leave wanting to do more than you are already doing."

If you are interested in getting involved, both K.I.D.S. and Fashion Delivers will process donations of excess new product from manufacturers and retailers online through their websites at www.KIDSdonations.org for children's products and www.FashionDelivers.org for adult products and home furnishings. Individuals can help by donating money online through www.KIDSdonations.org. . For every $10 of funding, the organizations can distribute $100 of merchandise to help a child or family in need.

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