Student Support Services

Student Needs & Support Resources 

The Snohomish Education Foundation (SEF) believes that every student deserves the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. Our essential needs program ensures that students have access to the basic resources they need to fully participate in school and daily life. 

Through strong community partnerships—including Kohl’s Snohomish, Helping Hands Thrift Stores, Fabulously Frugal Thrift Store and other community resources—SEF is expanding support for Snohomish School District students to meet a wide range of essential needs. 

SEF has a dedicated Essential Needs Fund that schools can access to support students with critical items not covered by other programs. Items include: 

  • Backpacks & School Supplies: notebooks, pens, calculators, etc. 
  • Clothing Basics: socks, underwear, sweatshirts, coats, and emergency shoes. 
  • Hygiene Supplies: deodorant, soap, combs, brushes, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. 

Requests can be made using the online application form and will come in a variety of ways ––direct funding, gift cards, or vouchers. Requests for funding may only be completed by Snohomish School District staff, teachers and administrators directly for student needs.  

For any requests, complete this form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=-nwpcFZADECU3mF9nCVJFyxe7ML4AqlMg9bbGa0uVUhUQjk0VjYxOURDQzI3RTIzTjM2VTRMRTRONy4u 

PROGRAM DETAILS 

Hansen Shoe Fund 

The Hanson Shoe Fund is a long-time program hosted by SEF providing vouchers to Kohl’s in Snohomish for students to select brand-new shoes that meet their needs and fit properly. 

  • Vouchers are distributed to schools in the fall and can be redeemed at Kohl’s in Snohomish throughout the school year.  
  • Schools may request additional vouchers as needed when student needs are identified. 
  • This program helps ensure students have appropriate, durable footwear that supports both learning and daily activities. 

Fabulously Frugal Vouchers 

SEF partners with Fabulously Frugal Thrift Store in Snohomish to provide vouchers to families in need. 

  • Each voucher is valued at $50. 
  • Vouchers can be used to purchase essential clothing, shoes, household basics, and other student necessities. 
  • Schools may request vouchers through the Essential Needs application process, and they will be distributed directly to the requesting staff for student use. 

This partnership allows families to choose from a wide range of affordable items, promoting dignity and independence in meeting their needs. 

Helping Hands Gift Cards 

Through Helping Hands Thrift Stores, SEF offers $25 gift cards to students and families in need. 

  • Gift cards may be used to purchase clothing, shoes, and other essential items. 
  • They are flexible, easy to use, and provide immediate assistance. 
  • Staff may request Helping Hands gift cards for their students by submitting the Essential Needs form. 

This partnership expands our reach into the community and ensures that students have multiple avenues of support. 

How to Request Support 

  • A contact at the school (counselor, teacher, nurse) will receive the requested support materials (vouchers, gift cards, supplies, funding) for distribution to identified students. 

The Origin of the Hansen Shoe Fund

The James Hansen Memorial Shoe Fund (once known as the Snohomish Shoe Fund) began many decades ago. At the suggestion of Stan Berentsen, principal of Emerson School, some of the PTA mothers started bringing children’s outgrown clothing to school for those in need. This continued for several years, until the Assistance League of Everett took over in the late 1960s when they founded their first outreach program, Operation School Bell. This program became a strong partner in supporting student success and the partnership continues today. Operation School Bell provides much needed clothes for qualifying students. Although the program is able to meet the clothing needs of our students, it is unable to fund shoes. That is where the Hansen Shoe Fund fills the gap by providing new shoes to qualifying students in the Snohomish School District.

As the program became more popular contributions from churches, service clubs, PTA groups, and individuals were donated. These donations were originally made through the District. In 1983, a popular teacher at Central School, James Hansen, passed away. He and his wife, Helen, had been strong supporters of the shoe fund, and Helen gave a generous bequest in Jim’s memory. Mr. Hansen was known to have always kept his desk stocked with clean dry socks for any student who might need them and packed an extra sandwich every day for any student who didn’t have a lunch. He wanted to keep all his students warm, comfortable and ready to learn in the classroom.

Donations made to the Hansen Shoe Fund will allow the Foundation to purchase many pairs of new shoes for our district’s children. For many of these students, the shoes they receive through the Hansen Shoe Fund are the only new shoes they will receive during the year. These new shoes make a difference in a child’s ability to play on the playground, provide warmth and protection from winter elements, but most importantly they provide the child with dignity and self-confidence. Instead of worrying about the holes in the soles of their shoes a child can spend that energy learning.

Since its inception the Hansen Shoe Fund has donated thousands of pairs of shoes to qualifying students. Due to the generosity of our community members, local businesses, teachers, school parent teacher organizations, and our students that empty their piggy banks and pockets each year, the Hansen Shoe Fund has continued to have a greater impact on the educational success and happiness of our children year after year.