A home near Westside High School is bursting at the seams with clothing, but it is not a hoarding situation, it is a helpful service.
"It was a storage room stocked with old furniture that was cleared out and then it was just a lot of bags of clothing," said volunteer Amy Brown.
A little over a year ago Amy Brown and some volunteers on Westside's Community Council transformed a tiny space into a clothing pantry.
District 66 School Counselors, families and students have access to the Westside Clothing Closet inside an undisclosed location. That way those in need can shop without shame.
"Right now I feel really good about where we are at and think we are meeting the needs and the requests that we are getting," said Brown.
"We have had so much donated that we don't have enough space for it," said volunteer Nicole Kelley.
Volunteer Nicole Kelley says a generous community and clothing drives at District 66 schools have kept the closet full. The donated clothing is sorted by season, style and size with the help of the Westside Student Council.
"The nice thing is we can do it together and it's in a relaxed setting and it's fun," said Stephanie Lund.
Student Council President Stephanie Lund says even though she and her classmates don't get to meet those benefiting from the closet, they know they are making a big difference.
"You can know that a sweatshirt was here last time you helped and it is not here now, so that means some kid got that and that is really exciting," said Lund.
Volunteers say they are in need of new socks and underwear. To learn more contact Brandi Petersen at petersen.brandi@westside66.net.
