Last year, the Community Closet began its mission to help those in need. Thanks to the hard work and donations received from students and faculty, the closet has been used more.

The inspiration for the Community Closet came from teacher Miss Tabitha McAuely. She came across a video on Facebook which featured a school that provides daily necessities to their students. McAuely wanted to be able to provide the same opportunities for the students in her district.

“After discussing what I saw with Mrs. Tokar, Mr. Buchler, Mrs. Anspaugh, and Mr. Styck, we visited Parkside in Jackson to see what their program looks like,” said McAuley. “We came back to Northwest with great ideas about how to start our program.”

As of right now, the Closet is located in the commons area near the front entrance of the school. It is open throughout school hours on weekdays, making it easy to get into.

Since its opening, more ideas have been created to improve it. One of those ideas is to join forces with Mr. Terry Williams from Compassionate Ministries, a church program that engages people with god, and partner with a program called the Back Pack Program.

This program allows students in need to take home a back pack full of food for the weekends.

“This will provide help for students who need it,” said Dean of Curriculum Mrs. Amanda Anspaugh. “This is part of what we can do to help.”

Along with providing, people can receive hygiene products and clothes. Those who need something from the Closet can contact a staff member, counselor, or Mrs. Anspaugh.

It is an anonymous program, in hopes to eliminate some of the stigma behind receiving help. It is also open to anyone, so if a student comes to school and needs a shirt or socks, they can contact Miss McAuely, Mrs. Anspaugh, or the front office.

“[The Closet] is a great program that can be used to help students who need, it but are embarrassed to ask for help.” said economics teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Hoffbauer.

As of right now the Back Pack Program is one of the main projects for the Closet. There are no set plans to expand the Community Closet in the future.

If students have any ideas, they can talk to Miss McAuley or Mrs. Anspaugh.