March 19, 2024

NCSD students, community continue to be in need of warm clothes

Various schools, organizations need assistance

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As colder weather has arrived, several local organizations and schools continue to be in immense need of the community’s generous support to ensure children and families are warm and fed.

Berg Middle School’s Coat Closet is perhaps in the most need of donations of winter clothes for its students.

Although, the clothing closet has a great ensemble of T-shirts, tank tops and a select few pairs of jeans and sweatshirts on-hand, the winter attire is lacking this year.

School counselors Shelly Fitzgerald, fifth and sixth grade, and Tracee Van Arkel, seventh and eighth grade, and school nurse Staci Geer are among those who have been approached by students in need.

“I think our building personnel see the need for it, so they are bringing in things a lot,” Fitzgerald said.

The clothing closet is in need of gently used sweatpants or athletic pants size 12 boys or men’s extra large, leggings for girls size 12 or ladies extra large, ladies underwear size 6 and 7, socks; men and ladies, winter coats size medium adult, men and women shoes or boots sizes 5 through 10, hats, gloves and scarves.

“The other huge need is snowpants,” Van Arkel said.

Fitzgerald said teachers can tell which students don’t have coats, snowpants, hats and gloves during recess, but it’s hard to know if they simply forgot clothing that day or if they really don’t have any.

“As the weather has turned colder I have taken kids down there (to the clothing closet) to try and get pants and there aren’t many options for them,” Fitzgerald said.

The need for warm clothes for BMS students has been consistent in past years.

“I think its been about the same ever since I’ve been here — there’s always a big need here,” Van Arkel said. “I’m just hoping with the more knowledge that there is in the community, that there will be more donations — I believe that the help is there if the awareness is made.”

Geer said she recently helped a student find some winter attire and his face lit up at the sight of having new items.

“He was just beside himself,” Geer said.

Gently used and clean items can be dropped off at the front office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Another way students at BMS and the NCSD recently have received assistance is through the food pantry. The food pantry has only been up and running since September through the Food Bank of Iowa.

The food pantry is open to all students in the NCSD and also offers some hygiene items. Last month, the pantry assisted 40 families and 130 people, Michaela Gunsaulus, a success coach at BMS and who also runs the food pantry, said.

The Newton Senior High School also houses a clothing closet and has felt support from the community since the spring of 2015.

Abby Lamont, an administrative assistant in the career center at NHS, runs the clothing closet. She said the closet has assisted 75 repeat students and 100 overall each year.

The items that are usually needed are footwear, such as, tennis shoes and boots, and undergarments.

“We couldn’t run without the support of the community,” Lamont said.

Items can be donated to the front desk of NHS from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Similarly, the St. Nick’s Christmas Club houses a large need, as there are still 150 families remaining of the 223 that were on this year’s Christmas adoption list. The list also includes 75 children among those families.

Club president Julie Bak said, “This year has been a little more stressful.”

Bak correlates the need to the local economy.

“What we are missing in this town, I’m not sure if its unique to us, but when Maytag left town and Newton Manufacturing closed up, we lost a lot of the middle-management income folks who used to come in and adopt our families,” she said. “The economy hasn’t rebounded to the caliber it had when Maytag was in full swing, and we have families who are in need.”

The St. Nick’s Christmas Club has been an asset to helping Jasper County families for the past 28 years as club volunteers graciously do the shopping and annually assist 600 children. Bak said their mission is to make sure that the children in Jasper County have a Merry Christmas.

“We want every child to have a new outfit — pants, shirt, shoes, socks underwear and one thing off of their wish list,” Bak said. “We have some wonderful people who go above the call of duty.”

The St. Nick’s Christmas Club adoption book is available at the Newton Daily News office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Families are listed with information about each child, including clothing sizes and items they would like to receive. Those adopting families must commit to providing new clothing items — underwear, socks, a shirt and pants — and at least one toy off the child’s wish list.

For those unable to adopt a family but would like to support the group with a monetary donation, send checks payable to St. Nick’s Christmas Club to P.O. Box 162, Newton, IA 50208.

“We hope that every kid in Jasper County has a memorable and joyous Christmas,” Bak said. “We couldn’t do this without the community’s support.”

Contact Kayla Langmaid at 641-792-3121 ext. 6513 or klangmaid@newtondailynews.com.