Miranda Adkins | So Salem

Nine of the guild's 24 directors, from left: Judy Phillips, Nancy Duffy, Nancy Robertson, Carol Dorsey, Amy Powell, Meg Robertson, Jennifer Deegan, Amelia Gerner, and Gay Pollock.

By the time mid-October rolls around, Salem Needlework Guild president Jennifer Deegan starts twitching as more calls from guidance counselors with extra kids to provide clothing for start rolling in. Forget caffeine as the culprit. The nonprofit she heads buys each child on its list a coat, a sweatshirt, and a new outfit -- including socks, underwear, and shoe vouchers, to ensure that every local child is prepared for winter temperatures. The job is as rewarding as it is overwhelming, and this year, they plan to shop for more than 275 kids, potentially more.

While Salem isn't known for a high poverty rate, "it's here and it gets covered up, but there is need here in Salem," SNG vice president Nancy Duffy said. This year, the number of kids that the SNG offered services to is up. At Andrew Lewis, the number has doubled from just under 100 kids to almost 200 carefully screened children in need eligible for the donations.

For whatever the reason -- the economy or even just the fact that "counselors being more aware of us and what we do," Deegan said, the SNG is being called upon to provide for more and more students each year. In addition to the fall/winter drive, if the guild has enough donations left from the fall, they also try to give spring outfits to 100 elementary students who are chosen through the guidance counselors.

In fact, all of the charity goes through the offices at the schools. "We never know who the kids are that we're shopping for," Duffy said. Students who are eligible for free lunches and others recommended by guidance counselors take home a form. If their parents choose to sign them up, they must fill out the student's sizes and mention favorite colors or interests so that the guild can find something the child will like. All the volunteers at the guild ever know of the children is a card with their sizes and preferences.

"It's just very nice to see the students that need things receive them ... In our economy, it's very difficult just to get school supplies to them, but to be able to hand out clothing is wonderful," ALMS guidance counselor Melinda Farley said.

"I might have a kid that's okay with taking it on the bus ride home ... We try to be discreet. I may have a bag in my room for a week, but it stays here until the parent picks it up," said 15-year ALMS guidance counselor Camellia Loving.

So how do 200-plus bags of clothes for specific kids get from store to school? The directors of the guild are what makes giving on such a large scale possible. They raise money from local people and businesses, enlist volunteer shoppers who buy clothing, and do a lot of shopping themselves. The 24 directors each take from four to 12 kids, (Duffy is currently the most with over 20 kids).

They do get some slack if they're having a big life event -- like having a baby or a huge stressor, but "the more competent they are, the more kids I give them [to shop for]," said. "So far, no one has been dumb enough to want to take my job though," she joked.

And while directors are only allowed to use SNG funds to buy clothing, they often dish out some of their own cash to buy extras -- this is the first year that Deegan has seen notes on the backs of cards like "*extra needy/homeless" from the guidance counselors. "If I know that a kid is homeless, I'll try to buy them a suitcase."

"Yeah, fifteen or twenty bucks isn't going to buy a whole set of winter outfits for one kid, but it'll buy a coat, or a pair of jeans, a couple of shirts, and some underwear if you're really thrifty," said. It takes on average $110 to get everything for one student, but she pieces together seemingly small donations -- one coat, two pairs of jeans, gift certificates to Wal-Mart -- to come together on a list.

Larger organizations such as the Salem Sheriff's Office have created an office pool. This year, the Sheriff's Office ended up raising enough money for five kids.

"When I brought this up with my staff, there was one-hundred percent buy in," Sheriff Ric Atkins said. "They like the fact that all of their money goes to the children." Except for a small fee to the national Needlework Guild, every cent goes to buying clothes for needy kids.

Chain stores have chipped in, too. Target is giving the SNG 10 percent off all purchases for donation, and Wal-Mart gave the guild a gift card. That plus all of the donations from the directors' neighborhoods and churches will add up to kids with new clothes.

So at the end of November on a Saturday morning, the 24 directors will gather with hundreds of trash bags -- for children that they and their volunteers shopped for -- at the Hart dealership on East Main.

"Just imagine so many SUVs and minivans just stuffed with trash bags and trash bags full of clothes ... we're so lucky that we can do this for others," said Deegan.