NEISD Clothes Closet helps support District families
Wednesdays can be busy for volunteers who take in and sort through clothing donations at the NEISD Clothes Closet.
“Last year, we served a little over 600 students and this year we are on track to serve twice that many, so it’s great that the word is really getting out there that we are here,” Angie Ogawa, Chair of the NEISD Clothes Closet said.
It has been open since January of 2017. Angie Ogawa said she’s seen a lot of thankful families walk through the doors.
“We’ve had so many wonderful families come in and shop, sometimes its families that have 4,5, or 6 children, and getting everybody clothed and back to school in august is a huge financial burden. They are just super grateful that they can get five outfits and new socks and underwear for each of their students to help to help take some of that financial pressure off back to school,” Ogawa said.
Families in need with children in NEISD, from kindergarten to twelfth-grade, can request a voucher from a school nurse, counselor, or family specialist. They can then shop at the Clothes Closet twice per school year.
Whitney Alvarado has three daughters in NEISD schools. She said she shops but also donates their clothing after they have outgrown it too. She is always finding quality items in the racks.
“It was surprising you know? It is gently-used clothing but it’s more brand-new clothing. There are really nice clothes for them to go out in. We’ve found our picture day clothes here and a lot of nice jackets for special occasions,” Alvarado said.
Parents, grandparents, and legal guardians can all shop on Wednesday mornings from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and on Saturdays every other month. The next Saturday date will be January 11, 2020.
Volunteer Kathryn Martin is a retired Army soldier and busy mom of seven. Her kids go to Redland Elementary School, Driscoll Middle School, and MacArthur High School. She also is wrangling a pair of twin toddlers.
“They range from daycare to high school so I’m always steadily buying things and trying to keep their legs and ankles covered because they are growing so fast,” Martin said.
“Some people donate like new stuff. You come in here, you might find a nice Adidas jacket that wasn’t even worn by anybody, you just never know,” Martin said.
She encourages anybody to donate and volunteer.
“I’m just happy to come out over here just serve; to me this is serving and I just really appreciate it,” Martin said.
Donations can be dropped off through the back door at the Clothes Closet on Wednesdays or in the collection bins at your campus.
Right now, the most-needed items are gently-used jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and new socks and underwear.
Ogawa loves to greet people with a hug and a smile on her face.
“What I like most about the Clothes Closet is that it’s just the perfect arrangement. It’s practical, it’s economical, it’s kind. I grew up wearing hand-me-downs from my sister’s hand-me-down clothes. This is like hand-me-down clothes from other people’s cousins or neighbors that you don’t know yet. It’s green, it’s recycling, it’s re-using; it just makes sense. It’s just the right thing to do that we help out our fellow NEISD students.”
The Clothes Closet is located at 8758 Tesoro Drive (across the parking lot from the NEISD Community Learning Center).
Discover the NEISD way, where our volunteers are giving back to students and their families.
