Program facing obstacles

Mary Lee Tucker Clothe-A-Child battles challenge of pandemic

Mary Lee Tucker Clothe-A-Child faces challenges as the novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world.

Over the years, the program, which is sponsored by The Morning Journal newspaper, has strived to provide school-age children with warm winter clothes and other clothing necessities.

Darryl Q. Tucker, president of the Mary Lee Tucker Clothe-A-Child program, said even with the pandemic altering how the program was coordinated, youngsters still are getting much needed outerwear for the winter months.

“So far, we’ve shopped for 178 kids,” said Tucker, who is also the managing editor of The Morning Journal.

“In the past few years, we’ve shopped for more than 300 youngsters, and we’re hoping to do the same this year, depending on the donations we receive.”

Tucker said the program still is able to operate under the pandemic with a large boost it received from Meijer Inc. this year, which donated nearly $5,000 to buy clothes and shoes for youngsters.

Because of COVID-19, the Journal Jog, which was the main fundraiser for the Clothe-A-Child, was canceled, and Meijer donated to the cause, he said.

The coordinators shopped for children at the Meijer stores in Lorain and Sandusky, and the JC Penney in Avon.

Children and families can think of and thank journalist and civic worker Rhea Soper Eddy who started the Mary Lee Tucker Clothe-A-Child program in 1924 while working at The Journal, which was the predecessor to the current Morning Journal.

Happiness

For Becky Whittington, co-coordinator of the program, the admiration and genuine happiness of the families brings her joy unlike any other.

“I asked my five children to give money to the Mary Lee Tucker program instead of giving me a gift this Christmas,” Whittington said. “I don’t need anything, but these children do.”

Seeing the little children with smiles on their faces, she said, brings her back to when she was a new mother.

“It is heartwarming to see how excited the children are to have new clothes,” Whittington said. “I was able to talk to some of the mothers and was reminded how challenging and yet rewarding it is to take care of a family.

“After the shopping, they had to go home and prepare dinner and then many had to go to work in the morning or else spend the day supervising the home schooling of their children. It is an exhausting job, but it’s so worthwhile.”

Whittington also noted her appreciation for grandparents who have taken on the roles of guardian.

“It is so poignant to see grandmothers who have volunteered out of the goodness of their hearts to be guardians of their grandchildren because the parent or parents are not able to because of death or disability,” she said.

Thank you

The work of the coordinators and Mary Lee Tucker Clothe-A-Child board don’t go unnoticed, Whittington said.

She shared a thank you message from one of the mothers who shopped with her children.

Said Whittington: “‘Thank you so much for this blessing to buy nice clothing for my children … Please keep doing what you are doing. You are making such a difference in this world for so many parents.’”

Joanne Eldridge Tucker, co-coordinator the Clothe-A-Child, has worked to make sure children in the area are being taken care of.

“There are families from everywhere that are asking for help,” Eldridge Tucker said. “We are purchasing new clothing for low-income families in a time where providing a place

to live and having food takes priority.”

The Mary Lee Tucker Clothe-AChild program began shopping Oct. 11.

Several new protocols were implemented, including smaller shopping groups, hand sanitizer and social distancing, Eldridge Tucker said.

During the trips, children are able to gain confidence with clothes they both like and need, she said.

Additionally, surprises such as books from the Lorain Public Library System are given to the children as well, Eldridge Tucker said.

“On one of recent shopping trips, we shopped for a family of five,” she said. “One of the young men in the family came to the store with clothing and shoes that were too big.

“I felt good about seeing that he received clothing in his size. He also was excited about the free books that the Lorain Public Library System provided.”

Eldridge Tucker said the work of the program shows members of the community they aren’t forgotten about.

“I believe that providing new clothing and shoes is a way of showing children and families that someone cares about them,” she said. “I was reflecting on my childhood when I had to wear ‘hand me downs’ clothing that was too big for me.

“The Mary Lee Tucker Clothe-AChild program is one way that a community can show that it cares about others. We are living in a difficult time, but this is one bright moment that can affect the self-esteem of a child for a lifetime.”

Tucker said he’s looking forward to taking more children to shop this season.

“We also encourage people to continue to donate to the program,” he said. “The more money we have, the more we can bless more children.”