Cindy Stribula of Jim Thorpe is no stranger to pinching pennies. She also knows the importance of wearing nice clothes to feel and look your best.

When she heard from her husband, Thomas Stribula, an employee at Carbon Career & Technical Institute, that one of his students had to wear sweatpants to a job interview because he had no alternatives, she was touched deeply."If I had something in my hands at that time that he could wear, I would have given it to him," she said. "To see that kid go to a job interview like that, it's just not right. What you're wearing makes you feel different. I feel better in my black power suit than I do in the clothes that I use to scrub floors. Someone had to have something to help that kid."Last fall Stribula founded Operation School Wear, a program dedicated to gathering new and gently used clothing to be redistributed in the local community. What began as a student-focused clothing drive has grown into a giveaway for infants to adults. She was inspired in part by St. John's in the Heights' annual clothing giveaway, which gives away a room filled with donated clothing each summer."A friend told me to stop by, and I went. I got there early and there was a line up the street," she said. "Isn't that crazy? We live in a disposable society, and here we are scavenging for things to wear."But what bothered her most of all about the annual giveaway was that it happened just once each year. What did parents do when their child outgrew clothing midyear and they couldn't afford new clothes? What if a family was new to the area, and couldn't afford school uniforms?"We don't have a lot to choose from," in terms of thrift stores and discount stores, she said. "And what about people who don't even have that dollar or two to spend on thrift store stuff?"Stribula was forced to go outside of her comfort zone to start Operation School Wear, speaking to school principals and guidance counselors in the Jim Thorpe area about student needs. She began discreetly helping individual students who needed new clothing or uniform items while gathering enough momentum to host a public giveaway. The first giveaway was recently held at Penn Kidder Elementary School, with more than 100 people in attendance."Why shouldn't we help each other?" she asked. "I'm a stay-at-home mom. I'm nobody important. But I needed to get out of my shell and meet this need. We all have things sitting in our closet that we don't use. Let's work together and help build a better community. Even if it's just one thing, it could be one thing that a person really needs."The clothing giveaway featured 24 laundry baskets filled with clothing, organized by size and gender. Stribula also filled an additional 20 large trash bags and three boxes with washed and folded clothing. Preparing for the event meant doing up to five loads of laundry a day.She's enlisted the help of her younger children and oldest daughter, Celia Hicks, to help with laundry and sorting, and most of her family was on site at the Penn Kidder giveaway.While she started the program intending to help students, she's also expanded to include infants' clothing and casual and professional attire for men and women."I don't want to turn anything down. If I think it is something that someone can use, I'll take it and pass it along," she said.While she hopes to expand the program to include other Carbon County schools, all donated items will stay within the area."This is stuff from our community, and I want it to stay in the community," she said. "The more that we help each other, the better our economic stability will be in the area."Stribula is encouraging those who have a few dollars freed up after the giveaway to spend that money at a local business."That's what I'd like to see. I love the downtown shops in Jim Thorpe. Let's shop there, or at the stores in Lehighton or Palmerton. Spend the money you saved in local businesses," she said. "Maybe my dreams are too big, but I'm going to do what I can."Donations are accepted year-round. Stribula hopes to host at least two giveaways each year, in the fall and spring, to help children and adults prepare for the change of season. Clothing unsuitable for wear will be turned into rag rugs, which will likely be sold or raffled off at the Jim Thorpe National Night Out to cover the cost of laundry detergent and travel. Stribula is currently looking for torn or worn jeans to make denim rugs.Operation School Wear bins are located in the Jim Thorpe school district and Carbon Career and Technical Institute. For more information on how to make a donation, go to operationschoolwear.com or

www.facebook.com/OperationSchoolWear, or contact Stribula at 484-547-7075.