Fresh Start Closet
Fresh Start Closet is a program that provides students in need with necessities like clothes, toiletry items, school supplies, snacks, and more. There are currently three Fresh Start Closets located at Schweitzer Elementary, Sandburg Middle School and Maple Point Middle School.
If there was one thing that has become abundantly clear throughout the ups and downs of the pandemic, it is the financial struggles that so many families are dealing with.
Sometimes there is just not enough to purchase much needed clothes, shoes, toiletries or the many other things that we need from day to day. For some families, the struggles with food insecurities causes them to send their kids to school hungry or without food to get through the day. Students have dealt with so much over the last few years and too many don’t have the coping skills to navigate all of these added struggles. We see mental health issues in children at an all-time high and I knew something needed to be done.
Having items on hand at schools that can help fuel them and make them feel more confident about themselves was how the Fresh Start Closets were born. Our closets are at numerous schools throughout the district and are stocked with all sorts of clothing items from undergarments to jackets, shoes and hoodies. We have toiletries that the students are welcome to with no questions asked. We have supplied students with blankets and sheets and other household items as well. If it is something we don’t have, we will get it.
These closets have been an amazing resource throughout these past two school years. The food pantries are stocked with snacks and easy meal items that again, students are welcome to without any questions asked. If someone is hungry, we will get them fed. If their pantry at home is empty, we will help them with that too. These closets are supplied with the amazing donations and support from the Foundation, local business, residents and private donations. The closets are used frequently and are now a fixture that many depend on. We hope that donations continue to sustain this initiative for years to come.
Donations can be made online, Venmo, or by mail. Please note your donation is for FreshStart Closest to support this program.
If there was one thing that has become abundantly clear throughout the ups and downs of the pandemic, it is the financial struggles that so many families are dealing with.
Sometimes there is just not enough to purchase much needed clothes, shoes, toiletries or the many other things that we need from day to day. For some families, the struggles with food insecurities causes them to send their kids to school hungry or without food to get through the day. Students have dealt with so much over the last few years and too many don’t have the coping skills to navigate all of these added struggles. We see mental health issues in children at an all-time high and I knew something needed to be done.
Having items on hand at schools that can help fuel them and make them feel more confident about themselves was how the Fresh Start Closets were born. Our closets are at numerous schools throughout the district and are stocked with all sorts of clothing items from undergarments to jackets, shoes and hoodies. We have toiletries that the students are welcome to with no questions asked. We have supplied students with blankets and sheets and other household items as well. If it is something we don’t have, we will get it.
These closets have been an amazing resource throughout these past two school years. The food pantries are stocked with snacks and easy meal items that again, students are welcome to without any questions asked. If someone is hungry, we will get them fed. If their pantry at home is empty, we will help them with that too. These closets are supplied with the amazing donations and support from the Foundation, local business, residents and private donations. The closets are used frequently and are now a fixture that many depend on. We hope that donations continue to sustain this initiative for years to come.
Donations can be made online, Venmo, or by mail. Please note your donation is for FreshStart Closest to support this program.
