In 2009/2010, TLBF served 3,000 children in 13 St. Louis City Schools...that's about:


  • 1227 pairs of shoes
  • 447 heavy coats
  • 976 jackets
  • 2,329 uniform shirts
  • 2,369 uniform pants
  • 2,371 pairs of underwear
  • 1,040 pants
  • 2,420 shirts
  • 3,871 pairs of socks
  • 18,411 books
  • 3,005 books & buddies
  • 484 backpacks

The process is simple – if a teacher sees a child in need, he/she fill out an order form with the appropriate sizes and items needed.  Each week, two trained TLBF volunteers fill the orders, deliver the items to the schools and see each child served.  TLBF provides:

  • Clothing: New tops and bottoms; new socks and new underwear.
  • Uniforms: Almost all TLBF schools now employ a uniform policy. This has shown to increase attendance and decrease violence in the schools.  It also puts all students on a level field and decreases distractions. 
  • Winter Coats: We also provide jackets, fleeces, scarves, hats and gloves
  • Shoes
  • Hygiene kits: A weeks worth of soap, shampoo, lotion and a washcloth.
  • Dental kits: Toothbrushes and toothpaste. These may be handed out on an as needed basis or in a health/hygiene class.
  • School Supplies: Backpacks are filled with new items and distributed to those in need.
  • Books and Buddies: Incentives for reading, books are paired with stuffed animals.  These are kept in bins and boxes in participating teacher’s rooms. Teachers have found that having a “buddy” to hold while reading is comforting to struggling readers and results in increase interest in reading. At the end of each semester, students are invited to pick out a book and buddy to keep.
  • Resource Books: Books for the teachers to utilize in their classrooms.
  • “Book Fair”: Free books for the students. TLBF provides a minimum of 2 books per student.  Several schools host “swap days” where students can swap their books with other students.