T-Mobile employees will fill shopping carts with new clothes for foster kids Friday, Aug. 7, at the Old Navy in Factoria, part of a $10,000 partnership aimed at sending students back to school with confidence.

The effort brings together three organizations: Treehouse, a Washington state nonprofit focused on educational support for foster youth; the T-Mobile Foundation; and Old Navy.

Volunteers will shop for clothing and essentials at the store at 4037 Factoria Blvd. SE, and Treehouse will distribute the items to students in foster care, 425 Business reported.

"Starting a new school year can be stressful for any student, but young people in foster care often face additional challenges," said Faye Green, Treehouse's corporate relations officer. "We're grateful to the T-Mobile Foundation for investing in these students and helping them begin the year with dignity, confidence, and a sense of belonging."

Nearly 10,000 children are in Washington's foster care system on any given day, according to Treehouse.

Founded in 1988 by a group of social workers, the nonprofit is the only one in the state dedicated specifically to the educational needs of foster youth. In the 2024-25 program year, it served 6,059 young people statewide.

That work has faced headwinds. Treehouse lost a $7 million state grant for its Graduation Success program in 2025, along with a separate $500,000 reduction, forcing the organization to cut graduation-support services for 400 students and lay off roughly a quarter of its staff, according to The Imprint and Washington State Standard. CEO Dawn Rains said the cuts amounted to nearly one-third of overall revenue.

Corporate partnerships like Friday's shopping event help fill some of those gaps. Janea Roberts, T-Mobile's senior manager of corporate responsibility, said the collaboration creates opportunities for foster students to feel supported and ready for the school year.

Bellevue's back-to-school season has already seen community groups step up. On July 28, a carnival at Downtown Park handed out 700 free backpacks to kids through a separate effort by Ascend Hospitality Group and Amazon.

No start time for Friday's event has been announced. The Factoria Old Navy opens at 10 a.m.