SALEM, Ohio - The Brightside Project in Salem will host its 3rd annual Back-to-School Clothing and Shoe Voucher sign-ups for Salem City School District students heading into preschool through 8th grade.

The program will offer one voucher per qualifying Salem student to be redeemed for clothing items and shoes at the Salem Walmart on E State Street.

To be eligible, students must attend Salem Head Start, Reilly Preschool, Buckeye Elementary, Reilly Elementary, Southeast Elementary, Salem Jr. High or receive the EdChoice Scholarship at St. Paul School for the 2022-2023 school year.

Vouchers for Salem Head Start through 3rd-grade students are $55 and $70 vouchers are given to families of 4th to 8th-grade students, while supplies last.

Families in need can sign-up at The Brightside Project (483 E Pershing Street) on Thursday, July 28 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, July 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Parents must have two proofs of being a Salem resident and each child's birth certificate. Children do not have to be present to get a voucher.

Brightside officials say they were able to have the voucher program for the 3rd straight year because of contributions by the Salem Community Foundation, Pearce Foundation and The Rotary Club of Salem.

"We are so thankful for the generosity of these community partners," says Lisa Wallace, Co-Director of The Brightside Project. "We know they share the same values as we do in wanting our local students to show up on their first day of school smiling and full of confidence because they feel good about themselves. Meeting a child's basic needs is the starting point in their academic success and helping them reach their full potential in life."