Area businesses donate to David Crockett High School’s Clothes Closet to help students in need
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – David Crockett High School’s Key Club members are excited about a recent donation of two dressers from area businesses to help with the school’s Clothes Closet.
The Clothes Closet is located in the upstairs part of the school gym and is open to any student. Tonya Poteet, the school’s Key Club advisor, told News Channel 11 that there are a number of reasons why a student may need clothes.
“We have sometimes students who don’t meet dress code, obviously, and so they may need something,” Poteet said. “We have students sometimes who unfortunately may spill something or have sort of an accident or something in that world that we want to help take care of, and then we also have students who just don’t have the necessity or the resources to buy clothing for themselves.”
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Inside the closet, it’s almost like a small clothing store, except everything’s free. There are shoes, casual men’s and women’s clothes, suits, coats and even a whole rack of prom dresses.
Not everything can go on a hanger. Some of the most important necessities like socks and underwear go in drawers.
Club member Cameron Smith reached out to about a dozen area businesses to ask for furniture donations. Zaks Furniture and Ashley Furniture both donated two dressers each, valued at a few thousand dollars.
Chuck Vest is the sales manager at Ashley Furniture and is also he’s also the mayor of Jonesborough, where David Crockett is located. Vest said he knows firsthand that some people in the community need help clothing their students.
“People are having a hard time putting food on the table and paying their rent, so putting clothes and shoes on their feet is harder than it used to be,” Vest said.
Smith said she and the other Key Club members want to make the clothing closet so commonplace among students that no one would know if a student was there because of a financial necessity.
“I try my best to not make the Clothes Closet like a taboo,” Smith said. “If anyone wants to go up there for anything, I say that is open for anyone. You don’t have to have a financial need, I know myself I forgot socks once so I went up there. It’s really trying to make it open for everyone.”
The Key Club is not currently not taking any donations of clothing, but they will always take unopened packs of socks, underwear and leggings.
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