Cards House of Apparel

Clothing closets in the Newton Community School District, like the Cards House of Apparel at Newton High School, assist more than 100 students annually. The closets have received donations from local businesses and individuals, and faculty hopes to keep the momentum going.

Students are always in need of athletic apparel to wear for physical education classes, tennis shoes and undergarments, according to Abby Lamont, an administrative assistant in the career center at NHS and the facilitator clothing closet.

Cards House of Apparel was launched in the spring of 2015.

“We had a lot of female clothing items and we wanted to add male items, so we applied for a grant through the American Educational Foundation,” Lamont said. “Then we reached out to our friends and family for donations during their spring cleaning.”

Lamont said the school’s clothing closet really blossomed over the years and even received a donation from Rock Communications, which was used to buy school supplies. In addition, Lamont said they do Christmas meals for kids to take home.

“Last year they donated 20 meals and this year there will be 30 meals donated to youth and their families who are in need,” Lamont said.  “Hy-Vee has allowed us to order through them and get a discount and then send the meals home with students.”

Lamont said she didn’t really have a vision for the closet at first but everything began to fall together.

“It’s really grown, we just thought if we can provide some clothes for kids, that’s wonderful and it’s just kind of exploded,” Lamont said. “It’s all based on community support and we couldn’t do it without that — we are so thankful for the community we live in.”

Lamont said she informs the community of when the closet is running low on items and then they turn around and bring in dozens of donations.

“Newton is an outstanding town to live in,” Lamont said. “If this makes just one child’s day better then our job is well done.”

Lamont has a few student assistants who go through the donations and help organize the closet along with some marketing duties. The student assistants also receive college credit and get experience with talking to adults out in the community.

The Newton Public Library held a coat, gloves and hats drive, and the items were donated to local schools.

“The smaller items we are able to pass onto the elementary schools and middle schools,” Lamont said. “Sometimes I’ll put items out on a table outside this room for kids who are walking by who might not want to come in but they might need to grab a sweatshirt or hats and gloves.”

Zoe Hall, sophomore at NHS, said she has been a student assistant since the beginning of the year.

“I take clothes that have been donated and hang them up and organize the clothing closet,” Hall said. “I sort things out that kids would want to wear and items that maybe they wouldn’t want to wear.”

Hall said she had a free study hall period that she enjoys coming into the career center and volunteering.

“Kids get to pick out clothes and wear clothes they like and not just have to wear clothes that are at home,” Hall said. “It’s nice they have a choice of what to wear not just what they are forced to wear.”

Emily Valtman, a junior, is also a student assistant that helps out on a regular basis at the NHS clothing closet.

“When Abby told me about the opportunity I thought it’d be something better than having just a study hall,” Valtman said. “It gives me the opportunity to make a difference.”

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

Following a large donation in August from Cato Fashions, a local women’s clothing store, the clothing closet at Berg Middle School is continuing to grow.

Students at Berg Middle School recently worked together to stop the negative connotation that’s often connected to clothing closets and the types of items that are available.

As the cold weather hits, Nicole Lampe, a seventh and eighth grade teacher, said the current needs are for winter coats, undergarments and tennis shoes.

“We have a lot of kids who play basketball in non-athletic shoes, which you don’t think about as a big deal but it is as far as ankles and traction,” Lampe said.

Lampe said she has students who utilize the closet about every other day, but that wasn’t until recently.

“It wasn’t being utilized at all and then I had a group of kids sign up to help organize the closet and go through it, and then we all wore something from the closet,” Lampe said.

“I wore an Under Armour shirt, which was really nice and then we had some girls and boys from the middle school who wore items, Lampe said.

Lampe said she thinks there is a negative stigma attached to the clothes available at the clothing closet that just isn’t true. She said there are also a variety of name brand items available.

“We want to help families in need,” Lampe said. “One mother came in and said, ‘my girls grew and all of a sudden no clothes fit them’,” Lampe said. “It’s nice to not just give one or two items but to give many items.”

Berg Middle School accepts gently used clothing donations at the front office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Kayla Singletary at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or ksingletary@newtondailynews.com