With Community Friends of Santa Barbara are Nikki Rickard, left, Tomi Topinko, and Chris Nelson; from SMBSD: Margot Olivarria, Tammie Castillo-Shiffer, and Jose Segura. (Courtesy photo)
With Community Friends of Santa Barbara are Nikki Rickard, left, Tomi Topinko, and Chris Nelson; from SMBSD are Margot Olivarria, Tammie Castillo-Shiffer, and Jose Segura. (Courtesy photo)

Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) students have benefited from the nonprofit Community Friends of Santa Barbara, which has been providing clothing to students in the Santa Maria Valley since the early 2000s through the Student Clothing Connection.

Recently, 1,000 new blankets were distributed to the students by the all-volunteer organization, along with swimsuits and towels for Oakley Elementary fifth-graders who participated in a swim program this spring.

Following a break during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Community Friends of Santa Barbara’s (formerly Assistance League of Santa Barbara), school clothing program resumed with the 2023-24 school year.

Community Friends of Santa Barbara runs a popular thrift shop in Santa Barbara that enables the group to run programs such as the Student Clothing Connection, which supplied the blankets and swim gear.

Community Friends also provides more than $100,000 annually in scholarship money for Santa Barbara County students; supports a children’s dental program; takes teens shopping for new clothes; provides teddy bears for distribution by first-responders; and recognizes middle-school student achievements, along with other programs supporting SMBSD students.

This past school year, Community Friends provided new clothes to more than 800 local youth and is planning for another successful year.

“The Community Friends of Santa Barbara have been angels to us during a difficult time,” said Margot Olivarria, family outreach advocate-manager for SMBSD. “This organization has dressed our kids. They have kept them warm. They have provided our students with hygiene items and books.

“The Community Friends of Santa Barbara keeps the entire family of students in mind, as well. The students come pick up clothes at our Family Resource Centers (FRC) and are so happy to model their new clothing. This organization goes above and beyond, and we are so grateful,” Olivarria said.

The Community Friends of Santa Barbara enabled Oakley fifth-graders to participate in swim lessons without barriers, said Oakley Elementary School Principal Eusebio Martinez, Jr.

“Providing swimsuits and towels meant that every child could focus on learning a vital life skill — water safety — without worry or exclusion,” Martinez said. “We appreciate Community Friends of Santa Barbara for making this a reality with no financial burden on our families.

“It’s a powerful example of how community partnership can truly make a difference in children’s lives.”