Grade School's "Tweens for Jeans" Drive Starts

Babylon Memorial Grade School is teaming up with DoSomething.org this month for the sixth annual “Tweens for Jeans” campaign to benefit American homeless youth.

Thousands of homeless people in the United States are under the age of 18, and one of the first items they ask for when reaching a shelter is a pair of jeans. To lend a helping hand, Babylon students set up jean collection bins in the grade school's front lobby and asked friends, family and classmates to donate pairs of gently worn jeans.

"It's a great program to help people in need," said Babylon Memorial Grade School Principal Randee Bonagura. "It also connects with our site-based committee's initiative of reducing, reusing and recycling. It's another way to reuse and repurpose items for the benefit of others."

In the first five years of this nationwide initiative, over 2.5 million jeans have been collected and donated, and the early indications are that the 2012-13 campaign will be the biggest yet. The grade school is collecting jeans until further notice, and the donations will be disseminated to local homeless shelters.