Operation School Bell®

Operation School Bell is our main philanthropic program and includes shopping events, literacy programs, and community outreach. Every year we strive to improve the lives for more children and families who are struggling to provide the basic needs for their kids.

There are 8,000 children living in poverty in Southern Utah. These children living in low-income households are the target population for Operation School Bell.

Washington County is the most populated county in southern Utah with 193,000 residents. The school district reports that nearly 1,000 of the nearly 30,000 students registered to attend school were homeless and in desperate need of basic clothing and supplies. Title 1 schools receive federal aid when 60% or more students qualify for the state free lunch program due to low family income. In Washington County there are 49 elementary schools and 11 are Title 1 schools. There are also six additional schools with more than 50% of their students who are on free or reduced lunch but do not qualify for Title 1.

Thirty-four schools in Washington and Iron Counties in southern Utah participated in our Operation School Bell programs during the 2022-2023 school year.

Thanks again to all the members of Assistance League in the St George area and to all those who are willing to generously donate their monetary support. On behalf of the Washington County School District administration, school personnel, students, and parents, we appreciate all you do to make our students’ lives better!!

Support Services Coordinator at Washington County School District

Shopping Events

Students and their families shop with us at local participating stores and are able to purchase new clothes and shoes. We offer each child a dental hygiene kit and a hand-knitted hat at these events. Our support to low income families eases their burden and boosts the student’s confidence, positive
peer engagement, interest in learning, and positive behavior at school.

Last school year, 1017 students in southern Utah received new clothes and/or shoes and dental hygiene kits.

Literacy

Operation School Bell focuses on enhancing literacy opportunities for children from preschool to middle school. During the last school year:

  • 715 new books were given to preschool and elementary students in 24 classrooms, 28 school libraries, and a dual immersion class.
  • Member volunteers read to 441 students in 24 classrooms in Washington and Iron Counties.
  • Our Action Week Coordinator delivered art supplies for students at Escalante Valley Elementary in Beryl and Cottonwood Elementary in Colorado City, AZ.
We are so grateful to the Assistance League for the amazing preschool reading program we were privileged to participate in! We all loved having grandmas and grandpas come into our classroom to read with us. Thank you from the bottom of our preschool hearts!

Red Mountain School Teacher

Community Outreach

One in seven children in Utah experiences food insecurity, not knowing when they will get their next meal.

This past year we helped Neighborhood Connection which supplies weekend non-perishable foodpacks for 800 children every weekend during the school year. We donated toward purchasing the food and also packed food for over 500 children in southern Utah schools.

We also bought paper goods and supplies for Switchpoint Soup Kitchen which provide 125 meals daily (Monday through Friday) year round.

Visit SwitchPoint via this link.

I have heard from many students that they say they feel like “a normal kid”. One student kept the price tags and taped them to his bedroom wall, saying, “I’ve never had something with a price tag before! I got to take off my very own price tags.”

School Counselor