LANSING, Mich. — Families who qualify for Michigan's Bridge Card can now use a $400 clothing allowance for back-to-school shopping at stores that accept it, including the Lansing City Rescue Mission's new thrift store location.
- The clothing allowance program begins Friday and will help approximately 1.4 million Michiganders who use SNAP programs.
- The allowance will give families $400 per child to use for clothes
- Last year families received $539 per child for the clothing allowance
WATCH: MICHIGAN BRIDGE CARD GRANTS $400 CLOTHING ALLOWANCE AHEAD OF SCHOOL YEAR
Cheryl Motter, a senior administrator of finance at the Lansing City Rescue Mission, has been rearranging racks at the store since 2013.
"When I was a kid growing up my mom would always take us and back then we would get cute little dresses for school," Motter said when recalling her back-to-school shopping
As the new school year approaches, the Lansing City Rescue Mission's expanded thrift store is stocked with items for students. The store's new location offers more space and serves more shoppers than before.
"I know we bring in about almost 500 items everyday," Motter said. "Since we've moved to the new store, we've doubled our capacity but we've also doubled the number of people that shop."
Starting Friday, the store will begin accepting the Michigan Bridge Card for a $400 clothing allowance, providing eligible families with funds specifically for back-to-school clothes.
"It'd be great for moms and dads or whoever has the children, grandparents to be able to buy more items," Motter said.
According to state data, roughly 1.4 million Michiganders use SNAP programs, representing about 15% of Michigan's population. While this year's allowance is less than last year's $539, it still provides significant help to families in need.
The program is already making a difference for newcomers to the area. Jenifer Teran, who moved to Lansing with her children just last month from New York, was excited to learn about the program.
"Oh wow. Excellent. The way I see it that's good," Teran said.
Teran didn't know about the program until I mentioned it and said she planned to sign up when she got home.
"Thank you so much. We didn't know. We really didn't know about it. We're going to apply now," Teran said.
Motter believes that new clothes can positively impact a child's educational experience.
"I think it just helps them feel better about themselves and it can probably really help them do their best in school," Motter said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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