To ensure we are successfully meeting the needs of our students with our In-School Closet Program, we recently turned to our school partners for feedback.
Although we’ve been serving local students for more than 13 years, we are on a continuous learning journey.
Each day, our students, agency partners, and school partners give us valuable insight that allows us to fully understand the true struggles of our students, and how we can meet their most basic needs to open a door to their brighter futures.
Here are 5 key ways in-school access to clothing and other basic necessities helps students in need.
Freedom of choice
Many of our students are experiencing difficult situations that provide little to no freedom and control over their circumstances.
A few examples include poverty, homelessness, foster care and refugee transitions, abuse, and mental health issues.
When students have the opportunity to shop for the items they need and find clothing that helps them find and express themselves, they get an immediate boost in their confidence and overall outlook on their lives.
Here’s what our school partners have to say:
“Catie’s Closet is an amazing resource that our families and students access frequently. I have found students find so much joy coming into the closet and picking out the things that best fit their personality.”
“Students love being able to choose items themselves and “go shopping” in the closet; it gives them a sense of independence and pride.”
“Students get so excited to go to the closet and pick something out. Families are so thankful for special order requests. Students feel confident when they are in new/clean, popular brands.”
“Students love visiting the closet. They feel like it is a real store and enjoy shopping for things they like.”
Knowing people care about them
Catie’s Closet serves students in schools where 50% or more of the students are in poverty.
In a society that emphasizes materialism, affluence, and outward appearance, these students can often feel like they are inferior to their peers or they are not as important as other children in their school.
Access to a welcoming space students can go where they are valued, appreciated, and understood can be completely life changing.
Here’s what our school partners have to say:
“Students feel cared for because of the closet!”
“Catie’s Closet is a great tool to empower students, they don’t feel embarrassed or nervous about using it, they know it is there to help them!”
“Catie’s closet has helped our school tremendously because kids know that their basic needs are important to the school and to the community. Catie’s Closet helps kids know they matter.”
“Students know that they have a safe, comforting, confidential environment where they can choose clothes that they like, and that they feel good about wearing.”
Encouragement through difficult times
As mentioned previously, the students we serve endure unimaginable circumstances. Poverty in and of itself is known to cause long-term negative effects in children.
While we understand this is the case, we also know that a positive place to turn to can help mitigate those negative effects.
This can help them get through their circumstances in the short-term and escape some of the long-term ramifications of their situation, all of which are beyond their control entirely.
Here’s what our school partners have to say:
“Catie’s Closet has been a game changer. The students are comfortable asking for needed clothes, socks, or hygiene essentials. Parents who have been evicted from their housing are left with nothing. The family and students are beyond grateful for the needed items. Many times the students and their families are left speechless because they know people or Catie’s Closet cares. They have hope for another day.”
“You would have to experience the faces of our families entering the closet and choosing a warm jacket when it is 0 Degrees outside and when a family has just arrived from the Border. The children as they put on a warm piece of clothing and we put socks on their little feet and watch them leave the closet fully dressed to venture out into the Cold elements of our New England Climate. When a family has lost everything in a fire. Words do not capture all this. The closet is beyond Valuable. It is a Lifesaver!”
“Catie’s Closet is the highlight of my students’ month. They are brand new to the country, and they had to leave everything behind. Having their own things again is crucial to helping them feel normal and at home again. They also come without weather appropriate clothing, so we visit at the start of every season change.”
“We have a few families that are currently living in hotels or substandard housing. The children are not always clean and their clothing often dirty. With the help form Catie’s Closet we are able to give these children clean clothing that is in style. These kids can walk around the school and no one knows the hardships they are experiencing.”
“Catie’s Closet helps so many in our school but the impact really stands out when supporting students living in transition. For the kids staying in hotels, shelters and moving from friend to friend, the closet is everything to them. They may not know where they are going each night and the ability to stop in the closet for shampoo, soap, underwear and clothing is critical.”
Confidence, Self Esteem & Overall Well-Being
Every single time a student steps foot in their school’s Catie’s Closet, they experience a transformation they wouldn’t otherwise have.
Our CEO, Mickey Cockrell, explains it like this:
“When thinking about the transformation a student experiences in our closets, I always think of the Wizard of Oz and the scene after the tornado. She is a world of gray, and when she opens the door to go outside, suddenly she steps into a world filled with color and adventure. That’s exactly how I see our students transform when they visit a closet. Their world is so gray and can feel so scary, but then with one open door, they are surrounded by color and sunshine.”
Students get an immediate boost in their self-esteem and confidence when they wear clothes that make them feel good and fit their style preferences. In the survey, 94% of teachers stated that access to clothing and basic necessities has a positive effect on students’ self-esteem.
Their situations don’t improve because of their closet visit, but their overall feeling of self-worth increases to levels they’ve never known before, which can in turn impact how they feel in the world around them.
Here’s what our school partners have to say:
“Our students benefit from this program. I see it in students who come to school in pants that are too tight or a shirt that hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. Once they get their new clothes on, their whole personality transforms.”
“The closet helps students and families in need and makes students feel better about themselves.”
“It provides basic needs for students whose families may not be able to get them and enhances self-esteem with hygiene and fitting clothing.”
“Catie’s Closet helps our students to be able to solve problems quickly and privately so they can maintain their self-esteem.”
Improving school community
A healthy and strong community is built on relationships and connection, and Catie’s Closet provides a foundation for relationships and connection within the schools we serve.
A trusted school faculty member brings students to their Catie’s Closet when they notice a need or when a student self-identifies as in need.
This is such a unique opportunity for teachers and other school staff members to connect with students beyond their academics.
Here’s what our school partners have to say:
“Catie’s Closet has vastly improved the culture of our school. It has brought staff, students, and families together as a community. It has helped to build connections within our school community and to increase the well-being of our students.”
“Catie’s Closet is extremely valuable to our school and community, it’s an instant source of help and comfort for our students. We are truly grateful for it!”
Help provide students with access to clothing and basic necessities this upcoming school year.
Our eighth annual Fill the Bus initiative is running through September 30, 2023. Our goal is to collect a total of 80,000 items, enough to fill 16 school buses, to ensure students have everything they need to start and continue this upcoming school year successfully.
There are many different ways you can participate.
Stay up to date on other ways you can help, important news and updates, event information, and more by joining our email list.
