By Carol Fisher-Linn
ECS Caring Closet is alive and well. It can always use your help…
Some years ago, the school nurse at Ellicottville Central School, Betty Westfall, ran a program called Project Christmas. I used to volunteer with Betty. Back then, used but good (or new) toys and clothing were collected to be sorted, inspected and grouped for us to then fold and designate where each piece should go. I recall Betty telling me that she always kept a supply of extras for kids in school who might need shoes, a shirt, a jacket, etc. I never forgot her heart for others.
(left) and Bianca Bush are two high school volunteers
give who give anywhere from an hour
to four hours of every week of the school year
answering the call for needs with the closet.
In 2020, Elsa Woodarek, as a class project, was inspired to turn a small room in the school into a Closet for students to pop in and find a clean shirt or sneakers if they forget theirs for gym or sports, or a warm coat. It grew, and the Caring Closet is now a student club run by about twenty high schoolers who have picked up the baton to carry on the tradition of caring for others.
In a conversation today with Harper Klein and Bianca Bush, and their Advisor, Gwen Bush, I discovered that these high school volunteers give anywhere from an hour to four hours of every week of the school year answering the call for needs with the closet. An email might go out asking for a student to come during lunch time to sort through a new donation, or to launder them, etc. In summer, they got together for over a week, shopping at Lowes for shelving materials and then these youngsters assembled the shelves to accommodate the donations in the new location in the school they secured to have a larger room for the Closet.
If a student gets to school and needs a t-shirt for gym, or perhaps would like something different to wear, he/she is free to ask for access to the closet and pick something different. It is basically a free shopping experience for them. They can even leave their old one if they don’t want it. Same with shoes, pants, jackets, etc.
The closet holds items for students from Pre-K to 12th grade. Bianca and Harper explained that they are especially in need of items for the younger kids. Although both boys and girls visit the closet, it is predominantly frequented by girls. It also turns out that they look for dress shoes, heels and dress clothes, but the biggest need is for sports-related clothes: things they can wear for track or outdoor sport – sweats, leggings, shirts, sweatshirts, sneakers. There is also a need for backpacks, boots, jeans and seasonal items, like sandals, shorts, tank tops, etc.
Most of these clothing items come through donations from the community when they are dropped off at either of the school offices. However, some things need to be purchased since underwear and socks are not accepted. The other big thing that the closet provides are personal hygiene items. Baskets in the bathrooms throughout the school are regularly refilled with these items which are purchased regularly with cash donations.
Harper and Bianca told The Villager about the neat items they themselves have procured from the closet. They encourage students not to buy new when they can get them free, or swap. They even hang outfits or hats around school to display what’s new.
Curious why these very busy students give this much time and effort, they told me that aside from wanting to do something meaningful in their school and community, they are learning: how to run a non-profit, keep the public informed on social media, benefit themselves and others through smart recycling and re-purposing, organize, prioritize, work as a team and trust others, and learn from each other and their advisor.
You see, school is not just a place where our students learn out of books or computers. They also learn from their peers and their advisors about becoming. important contributing members to their community. Some of these lessons couldn’t be taught in books. They can only learn these lasting life-lessons by caring for others, having an interest in a better community and being willing to step to the plate and take a swing when others might not. Find them online to learn more about ECS Caring Closet and feel free to donate by sending donations to the school, 5873 Route 219 Ellicottville, NY c/o Gwen Bush, Caring Closet Advisor.