Charity Newsies gets $4.05M gift from late Larry D. Clarke: Here's how it will help kids

Max Filby, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
A man sells papers with the Charity Newsies in 2021 at the intersection of Olentangy River Road and Clubview Boulevard.
A man sells papers with the Charity Newsies in 2021 at the intersection of Olentangy River Road and Clubview Boulevard.

The Charity Newsies nonprofit has received a more than $4 million gift that will be used to help children in need.

The donation from the Larry D. Clarke Living Trust will be used to provide clothes to 27,000 kids, Charity Newsies announced Friday. Clarke, who died in 2020, was the owner of Corum Real Estate Company in Sterling, Ohio.

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Since its founding in 1907, Columbus' Charity Newsies has helped more than 765,000 kids, according to the organization. The nonprofit's mission is to ensure no child is kept out of school for lack of adequate clothing.

Charity Newsies provides brand new clothing to children in need, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each child receives a brand new clothing package worth $150 that includes six pairs of socks, underwear, a coat, hat, gloves and three shirts and three pants.

"We are so, so grateful for this transformational gift," executive director Subha Lembach said in the release. "With rising costs and shifts in the economy, we know families need our services now more than ever."

The $4,050,000 gift from the Larry D. Clarke Living Trust comes as the Charity Newsies has seen a rise in demand for children's clothing. The nonprofit reports it received 15,000 applications for kids clothing in 2022, marking an increase of more than 30% from the previous year.

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Charity Newsies provides brand new clothing to children in need, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each child receives a brand new clothing package worth $150 that includes six pairs of socks, underwear, a coat, hat, gloves and three shirts and three pants.

"Thanks to the support of so many in our community, including the Larry D. Clarke Living Trust, we are able to continue providing a critically needed resource to our families most in need," Lembach said.

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: $4.05M gift from Larry D. Clarke trust helps Charity Newsies help kids