Catie's Closet
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : m****y@c**********t.o*g
Mission Statement
Catie's Closet gives children in need life-changing access to clothing and basic necessities so they can thrive in school and in life.
About This Cause
Catie’s Closet transforms unused areas inside schools into safe, welcoming spaces where students in grades preK-12 can discreetly shop, free of charge, for clothing, toiletries, and other necessities. By arming students with the power of choice, Catie’s Closet fuels their confidence, encourages them to stay in school, and unlocks opportunities to break the cycle of poverty. There are over 49,000 students who are homeless in Massachusetts and New Hampshire schools. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education estimates another 300,000 living below the poverty line. As daunting as those numbers are we know that nationally the number of homeless students is currently over 1,900,000 while those living in poverty tops 24,000,000. These students face critical challenges every day in just trying to survive. Focusing on their education becomes just another hardship. Students living in poverty are easily identified and feel ostracized from their peers by the way they look. In addition to lacking shoes and clothing they also do not have the means to maintain proper hygiene. Many are bullied and eventually just stop attending school. In fact, access to basic necessities is cited as one of the top reasons for absenteeism. Current resources like the Salvation Army or the Department of Children’s Services require students to visit a facility in order to receive aid. These facilities require a means and cost of transportation to get there and the wait time can be excessive. It is prohibitive for our students. Catie's Closet provides a solution by sensitively providing for the special needs of homeless and underprivileged students in grades Pre-K through 12. We build a “store” or “walk in closet” right inside their school so that students have immediate access to what they need, free of charge. Offering age-appropriate clothing allows students increased self-esteem, a sense of belonging and a resource to alleviate the visible burden of poverty. As a result participating students want to attend school and can do so without feeling different among their peers. They are better able to focus on their education instead of worrying about fitting in. Our criteria for selecting schools is based on the percentage of students who are enrolled in free and reduced lunch. Presently, our schools have over 70% of the students who qualify. We then partner with school officials in the school district as well as each school individually to determine the best place to construct a closet within the building. Once identified, we have a construction team build out the “closet”. We collect new and gently used clothing as well as toiletries, shoes and school supplies at our Distribution Center located in Dracut, MA. We engage the whole community to participate by hosting drives, collecting donations and becoming a champion. A team of volunteers also from the community assist in sorting and preparing these donations so that they are ready for distribution to our schools. Catie’s Closet is currently operating in 141 schools located in MA and NH and serving 95,000 children. We have over 300 volunteers assisting us in executing our mission.