(Scottsdale, AZ) — Arizona Helping Hands (AHH) demonstrates the importance of charities working together, thanks to a new partnership with the Back to School Clothing Drive. With funding from the BHHS Legacy Foundation, the organizations are collaborating to outfit 300 children in foster care and 250 students from Children’s First Academy with new school clothing and outfits to help prepare them to go back to school.

“This is a great partnership with infinite opportunity to expand our impact on children in foster care,” says Dan Shufelt, President and CEO of Arizona Helping Hands. “This effort will complement a recent backpack drive we did in collaboration with three other foster care charities. That effort helped 5,000 children start the year with the necessary backpacks filled with supplies.  To have this wonderful opportunity to help 300 more children with a clothing package valued at $350 is a huge help to these families who have opened their hearts and their homes to make lives better for kids who have faced such tough circumstances.”

The organizations will host the clothing distribution event at Children’s First Academy, 1648 S 16th St, Phoenix, on Thursday, Aug. 24 from8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 250 children from Children’s First Academy will receive clothing; from 3-8 p.m., clothing will be provided to children from Arizona Helping Hands.

All children participating in the event are pre-registered. Walk-ins will not be accepted. Children will be individually fitted for polo shirts, shorts, and shoes, as well as provided with belts, socks and underwear. “These kids will look great and feel confident at school after this fun event,” says Shufelt.

Arizona Helping Hands is the largest provider of basic needs to Arizona’s kids in foster care. For more information visitwww.azhelpinghands.org.

“We are pleased to partner with Arizona Helping Hands to make a difference and impact in the lives of foster care families and the kids to whom they give their love, time and attention,” says Karl Gentles, Executive Director, Back to School Clothing Drive. “It is important that nonprofits find ways to combine their efforts to make greater impacts and this partnership is an example we hope other nonprofits will follow.”

Celebrating it’s 50th year of serving Valley school children, Back to School Clothing Drive (www.btscd.com) provides new school uniforms and outfits, backpacks and school supplies to children in need. Through its three programs, the New Clothes, New Beginnings Distribution; Student Attire for Education Matching Grant and Online Retail Store; and Stitches of Love, more than 25,000 kids attending over 260 Title 1 public elementary schools in 40 school districts benefit from its programs annually.

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