In the 2025-2026 school year, The 1701 Group celebrates 41 years of shopping for new clothing with Washoe County School District students. Our Clothes for Kids program provides elementary school students a shopping experience for brand new clothing. The children leave with a huge bag of new clothes, new toiletries, wide grins and a renewed sense of confidence.
Washoe County School District personnel identify the students at the individual schools and submit the list to the Clothes for Kids committee. Students attend a scheduled shopping event with their parents or guardians at the Target or Walmart store closest to the school. The event happens after school so the students do not miss valuable school time. When students check in, they receive a list of appropriate items to purchase.
The 1701 Group member volunteers work at the event, assisting at check in, adding up merchandise, and helping with check out and bagging. At the checkout stand, students receive an Essentials kit full of toiletries.
Each student will have the following budgets for new clothing: preschool $75, kindergarten through third grade $125, and fourth and fifth grades $145. These budgets are generous enough to provide for new shoes, pants, shirts, socks, and even underwear. School counselors acknowledge that students do better in school when properly dressed.
In addition to providing shopping events, this committee works closely with elementary and middle school counselors to fill their clothes closets. With well-supplied closets, counselors can meet emergency student needs,
Every year, this committee also provides every student at two or three elementary schools with new books of their choosing to take home for the summer. Many students tell us that they have no books at home, so they welcome our book selection event.
