Yough foundation's Shop With a Principal program aids students in need

Students from Yough’s three elementary schools will be able to shop with a school principal on Wednesday when they buy clothing they need, thanks to a community foundation’s funding.

The nonprofit Yough Helping Hands Foundation has allocated $150 each for up to 40 students in need from the district’s three elementary schools — West Newton, Mendon and H.W. Good — to buy outfits, socks, pants, shirts and shoes at the Walmart store in North Huntingdon, said Yough Superintendent Anthony DeMaro. The students, along with school principals, will be bused to the store to buy the clothing, DeMaro said.

The foundation also will provide a similar amount of money to about 24 middle school students and a dozen high schoolers so they can shop online for the clothing. Students will have the opportunity next spring to purchase clothing as well, DeMaro said.

While the Pennsylvania State Police have a Shop With a Cop program in the Christmas holiday, the Helping Hands Foundation’s variation is Shop With a Principal, said Jared Filapose, chairman of the foundation and school board president.

After raising close to $25,000 from a golf outing in August at the Madison Golf Club, the foundation decided to do more than just purchase new shoes for needy students, which they had had done by purchasing 100 pairs of shoes, Filapose said.

“The foundation figured it was better to solve a greater problem and provide additional clothing items such as outfits, underwear and socks to help those in need within our district,” DeMaro said.

“Our foundation sees the struggles that families are dealing with today. … The foundation decided to address the root cause to help our struggling Yough families,” Filapose said.

Past and present school board members, business and community leaders, and school personnel are involved in the initiative, which also has provided Thanksgiving meals for those in need and scholarships. The foundation, an independent charity is dedicated to providing communitywide support to families and students, including those in the school district, senior citizens and veterans, DeMaro said.

“We want to show the good things that can happen when we work together instead of all the bad things in the world. Extend a helping hand, as you never know when you may need one,” Filapose said.