The vouchers will provide $175 per child towards clothing purchases, to be used only at Walmart in Urbana. The goal of only exchanging the vouchers at Walmart in Urbana is to keep the money in the Champaign County area, according to Susan Bailey-Evans, director at DJFS.
“This is not an every-year event,” she said. “It has been four or five years since it was last done. The funds come from the Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.”
If you miss Friday’s deadline, there is still hope.
“We’ll accept applications from anyone dropping off after the deadline and they will be considered,” Bailey-Evans said.
Vouchers will be ready for pick-up from 2-5 p.m. Aug. 17 and 18 at the DJFS office.
“For families to be eligible, they must either be on assistance or living below the 200 percent poverty level,” Bailey-Evans said. “Children need to be between the ages of 5 to 18 years old and enrolled in a Champaign County public school.”
According to Bailey-Evans, if a family has more than one child enrolled in school, each child is eligible for a voucher for the full $175.
“There are lot of kids in need,” Bailey-Evans said.
Once all 1,800 vouchers have been handed out, the program ends.
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