For most people, spreading the warmth of the holiday season means hosting a party, sending greeting cards or finding the perfect holiday gift.

For the Clark family and Foothill Elementary, however, spreading holiday warmth is more about meeting basic needs during the cold season. For the past four years, the Clarks have organized a warm clothing drive through the school to collect donations for the homeless.

The annual tradition began during a visit to Salt Lake City, when the Clarks noticed the thin, threadbare clothing worn by many homeless individuals, including children. To help meet the need for warm clothing, including coats, scarves, blankets, gloves, boots, mittens, sweaters and socks, they organized the "Give a Hand to the Homeless" program through their children's school, Foothill Elementary.

The Clarks collect more than 700 items annually to hand out at homeless shelters, making more than just a small dent in the ongoing needs of homeless men, women and children. For Jill Clark, one of the most poignant examples of charity came from her own daughter, Caroline, who is a kindergartner at Foothill Elementary this year.

Jill's children help hand out the collected items, and when asked if there were any backpacks available, Caroline didn't hesitate to give a small homeless girl her own favorite backpack.

For Jill, that message of selflessness and service is important to pass on to every child so they can learn to step outside of themselves and reach out to others in need.

"This is part of a whole education," she said.

To spread the word and get every student involved, daily announcements are made at the school and flyers are sent home to parents. Gently used items are collected through each class, and the class with the most donations wins a doughnut party. The collection period typically lasts between two and three weeks, and the Clarks store the items in their garage until they can arrange to take them to Salt Lake City to hand out.

"There is such a larger need than what we could provide," Jill said. "Without (the school's) help, we couldn't even make a dent in the need."

Jill's son, Christian, who is a seventh grader at Canyon View Junior High, agrees that the school is an integral part of the project.

"We can't do it ourselves," he said. "We can't go out and buy hundreds of coats, but with the help of Foothill Elementary, it makes it possible to make a difference."

The best part of the project, Jill said, is seeing the joy on the faces of the people who receive the much needed items.

"I wish every Foothill student could be there with us," she said. "It's the highlight of our holiday season."

Jill's daughter, Kate, who is a sophomore at Orem High, agrees.

"It is a great way to serve," she said. "We can see how happy it is making the people and how much it is needed."

Though she is grateful for the opportunity to coordinate the project, Jill emphasizes that the need is ongoing and even with the extraordinary generosity of the Foothill Elementary families, the need is greater than what one school can provide.

"There's always the feeling of wishing you can do a little bit more," she said.

Ultimately, the purpose behind the project is simply to spread holiday warmth and cheer, in the most basic way possible.

"Maybe on some cold winter night," Jill said about the homeless individuals who receive the donations, "their comfort level is a little bit better."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D6.