Press Releases

Shareable Wearables Children’s Clothing Drive

17/05/2004

As the seventh annual Shareable Wearables children's clothing drive kicks off today in the Rio Grande Valley, Shell and its partners encourage the community to clean out their closets and help local children begin the 2004 school year in comfortable and appropriate clothing.

Collection boxes are set up all week at Shell Hop ‘n Shops, Tejano Marts and other Shell-branded stations throughout the Valley.   Monetary contributions—used to purchase new shoes, socks and underwear—can be donated at 17 International Bank of Commerce (IBC) locations in McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Weslaco and Alamo.

“Making a difference in a child’s life is as easy as cleaning out your closet.   The clothes from the Shareable Wearables clothing drive are distributed to kids all over the Valley and these donations become critical to families, especially after their homes and belongings are ruined in a flood or a fire,” said Danny Echols of Shell Exploration & Production Company—McCook Production Unit.

The event has become more successful each year and social service agencies that distributed the donated clothing estimate more than 12,000 children in need benefited from the 2003 Shareable Wearables clothing drive.

“Anyone who has visited the colonias knows how desperately the children in our community need clothing.   We want to ensure that all kids start school feeling confident and comfortable,” said Tommy Speed, administrator of the Rio Grande Children’s Home—a ministry of Buckner Children and Family Services.  “No piece of clothing goes unused.  We also work with organizations who will teach people how to sew materials together to make the scraps into something useful.”

Shell’s partners in this event include: the Rio Grande Children's Home, Russell McGilvray/Hop 'n Shop, Keller Distributors, International Bank of Commerce, the McAllen Monitor, KRGV-TV, KURV radio, KVMV radio and Clear Channel radio stations, as well as Vanity Fair Intimates, Wrangler, HealthTex, Jansport, Inland Packaging and L&F Distributing.