When students worry about what to wear or not having shoes or pants that fit, they can't focus on what's happening in the classroom.

The nonprofit Assistance League of Las Vegas is working to change all of that through its signature community program Operation School Bell.

♪♪♪ (Carole Greene) So they come off the bus, and we check them in to make sure that we have their paperwork that the school has sent through our online system.

And then we have them go into our what we call the monitoring room, where we have a member in there that just kind of directs them.

-Okay.

Who's Victoria?

You are?

Are you ready to shop?

All right, let's go.

(Dawn Blinder) I've known about Operation School Bell for a long time.

And we're a community school.

We know our families, and it's a team decision to really find out which families are in the most need or could use that extra help.

-All right.

I'm gonna have you-- Do they feel like they fit?

-Operation School Bell is run by Assistance League of Las Vegas, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization.

-Okay.

So we're gonna put your bag over here.

I hope you had fun and you like your new things.

Who's Keith?

-Me.

-You?

(students) Bye Keith!

-Coming here today, kids get to pick out their own clothes.

They're gonna pick out their style, their colors that they like.

I think it builds on their self-esteem and self-confidence.

-Okay, that's two.

Do you want crayons?

-They were excited.

They were excited before they came, and I think they didn't know what to expect.

(Keith) It was very nerve wracking.

Let's just say that.

And it was very exciting as well, because, like, I was waiting for it.

Thank you for having me here.

I'm very grateful.

-See, I think that will be better.

-Operation School Bell has served CCSD students since 1978.

Assistance League Member Volunteer Deborah Gandy was once one of those students.

It was a sudden tragedy that led to Deborah's family desperately needing help.

(Deborah Gandy) When I was in 1st grade, right before Christmas, we went to go visit Santa Claus at one of the department stores, and by the time we came back, our house was engulfed in flames and everything was ruined in the house.

When I went back to school, my counselor actually took me shopping for new clothes at Operation School Bell.

And I remember going, and I remember the racks of clothing, color coordinated, and I got to shop and pick out new clothing.

I remember picking out a new backpack.

-Deborah's shopping experience at Operation School Bell made a significant and positive impact on her life.

And today she offers CCSD students in need this message of hope.

-That this is all just temporary, your situation.

You get to make your own future.

Go to school, get your good grades, work hard, hustle, you know, and then some day you could be sitting here, giving back to your community too.

-Well, requests for Operation School Bell services must be made through CCSD schools.

To learn more about the process, visit Assistance League of Las Vegas' website, allv.org.