Target gave 20 kids $80 gift cards
TRAVERSE CITY -- Who doesn't like to shop? Twenty kids and Salvation Army volunteers spent the morning filliing up their carts at the Target store in Traverse City.
Each student was given an $80 Target gift card to spend for back to school. They bought everything from calculators, backpacks, pens, pencils, binders and even clothes. They made $80 go a long way.
"It's something that Target did last year at a few stores and it went over really well, so this year they expanded a little bit," said Target Human Resources Executive Ryan Gailey. "They're doing it nationwide with 12,000 kids and over $960,000 that they're going to spend throughout the nation."
12-year-old Autumn Barnum goes to East Middle School in Traverse City and is in 7th grade. She says she was excited to go shopping and to get all of the cool new trends for her first day.
"I got a lock for my gym locker, and notebooks for my classes and I got some clothes," said Barnum.
Volunteers of The Salvation Army watched the kids while they shopped and made sure to get the bargains. The kids got a lot of the things they needed, but also a few things extra.
"Most of the kids we chose... it would stretch their family budget to pick up the items that they did today, so this is just something that would enable them to get some of the other things they need," said The Salvation Army's Community Officer Bruce Jennings.
"I got to pick out my stuff. It makes me really happy," said Burnam.
After adding it all up, most of the kids stayed under $80. Jennings says there was $54 left and that's enough to give to one more child.
"Did you have fun and some of them said yes, I really had a good time. It was exciting," said Jennings.
The Salvation Army here in Traverse City selected the kids who participated in shopping spree.
Most of the kids had been involved in summer day camps and other Salvation Army activities.
