HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Kids will soon once again be heading back to class at Hanover Area Memorial Elementary School. But back-to-school shopping isn't always easy for every family.
"We have kids with holes in their shoes that you can't even believe they are wearing them to school, so we bring them down and have them try them on," said Carla Myers, a guidance counselor at Hanover Area.
Right down the hall from their classrooms, kids can shop for free. Inside, they have everything they need for a successful school year.
"They can't participate in school and get a good education if they are hungry, or they feel uncomfortable about their shoes or have on tight pants," Myers said.
It's a labor of love set up through donations and run by the administration, and it's only been growing in the past few years.
Hanover Area Elementary Principal Krista Koter-Langdon started the program as a teacher.
"It was something I originally started out of my classroom, so when I became the principal here, we just brought it to a larger scale," Koter-Langdon said.
Kids are able to fill their bags with everything from food to shampoo and deodorant, even show off a new outfit, complete with accessories.
"And they truly, as they call it, shop. And they're very proud and excited. And, you know, they're showing it and trying it on."
They are teaching their students a lesson this school year that can't be found in a textbook.
"The goal is to naturally provide for their needs. And then hopefully, as they get older and more mature and independent, for them to understand and also lend a hand to someone who may need it," Koter-Langdon added,
Hanover Area is accepting new and lightly used clothing donations as well as personal hygiene products for the shop.