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SALT LAKE CITY — A special program is helping hundreds of homeless kids go back to school with a fresh set of supplies.
The Road Home Apple Tree program is helping more than 100 kids go back to school with a bit of added confidence this upcoming school year. For many of these kids, back-to-school clothes and supplies are about as good as Christmas.
The program allows people from the community to shop for each child individually. The community donated more than 4,400 items.
Vance Norton, 10, said a bag full of supplies and a room at the shelter made his day.
“For once in my life, I’m actually gonna be feeling like, ‘Hey, I’m wearing a nice pair of clothes at school and a nice pair of new shoes,’ ” Vance said.
Vance’s mother is especially grateful.
“He’ll feel more confident at school,” Deborah Norton said. “They don’t want to be picked on because they’re here, or because they don’t have anything, or they have less than.”
“This is a great program because it just creates some normalcy for our kids,” Celeste Eggert, director of development and community relations for The Road Home said. “It just gives our kids the opportunity to be like other kids their age.”