Help Assistance League and local school and city officials celebrate the back to school season by participating in an Operation School Bell® dressing or by packing nourishing food items at Operation Snack Attack at any of three OPEN HOUSE dates to be held Fridays, September 26, October 3 and October 10 from 9:00 AM until 12 Noon.

You will have the opportunity to speak with children from many diverse backgrounds and to help a child select new clothing and books or to pack a nutritious bag of snacks for a hungry child, with the goal of helping kids feel not only better about themselves - but better about going to and staying in school.

School officials will be in attendance to attest to the positive impact this Assistance League program has on classroom performance and school attendance.

Each year Operation School Bell lays a foundation for better learning by providing new clothes and literacy programs to more than 160,000 children across the nation. In the past fifteen years, Operation School Bell has provided much needed services for more than one million school children in need.

Studies show that children who come to school inappropriately dressed are at a disadvantage and that appropriate school clothing can improve school attendance and help classroom performance. By providing proper clothing and learning materials, Operation School Bell helps children arrive in the classroom better prepared to learn.

Last school year, over 1,400 underprivileged children from Riverside-area schools in grades K-12 received new clothing, shoes, books, school supplies and personal care kits. Additionally, children from 13 local elementary schools received 9,400 bags of nutritious snacks to help them overcome weekend hunger.

Through the gift of service to their communities, over 110 chapters of Assistance League fulfill the philosophy of volunteer service across the United States. Our volunteers here in Riverside are incredibly dedicated. We develop, fund and staff philanthropic projects that members have identified after conducting a community-needs assessment. The funds that we raise stay in our communities for the support and administration of our own programs, making us a vital, contributing member of our community.