MAKING THINGS BETTER
Steel Valley High ‘Caring Closet’ filled with supplies and support
For students at Steel Valley Senior High School, nurse Amber Thomas’ office offers more than a place to go when feeling sick.
There students have the chance to “shop” for toiletries and essentials they may not be able to afford. In a corner of the office sits a dark wooden cabinet that staff has dubbed the “Caring Closet.’’ It’s full of boxes of tissues, bars of soap, bags of makeup, bottles of shampoo and conditioner, body wash, lotion, hair spray and hair gel.
Since the closet opened in February, Ms. Thomas said more than 30 students have come to shop, either for a few items or for an entire arsenal of supplies.
“I encourage them to take what they need,’’ she said.
For many students in the district, the need is there. Sixty-six percent of the Steel Valley student population is classified as economically disadvantaged, according to the Future Ready PA Index, a website that tracks school progress and records in the state. At the high school, every student is eligible for a free lunch because more than 40 percent of the school population qualifies for Medicaid, food stamps or cash assistance, according to food service director Lisa Runco.
The Caring Closet is just one “prong” to combat the issues that the district faces, said Ryan Dunmire, who worked to create the closet along with Ms. Thomas and instructional coach Jodi Geyer.
Ms. Dunmire, who grew up in Steel Valley and now works at the school with The Future is Mine, a program to help students develop leadership and career skills, said she has watched “cycles” of children growing up with little and then raising a family with even less.
Those cycles, though, have created a community that is eager to give back.
“Everyone who has lived here is looking to give back in some capacity,” she said. “The one thing we can help each other do is feel good about ourselves, whether that’s with clean clothes or nice makeup.”
The closet was filled with donations from alumni, community members and students in just one month, and staff members are now looking for a place to store the overflow of supplies. The first donations came from two students who each bought $20 worth of products. Their mother said she was so proud of them that she matched their donations.
The school does not collect any identifying information about who comes to the closet or keep track of what they take to make sure students feel comfortable.
“We’re trying to make it easy and discreet for the kids,” Ms. Geyer said. “This takes the asking out of it.”
Student volunteers who help to organize closet goods and needs also are thinking of more innovative ways to deliver the goods to those who are hesitant to visit Ms. Thomas’ office. Two students began
putting small supplies, such as contact solution and deodorant, in bathrooms and locker rooms. Another student plans to start hand-delivering goods in gift bags to those she knows are struggling.
Ms. Thomas said she gets mixed reactions from students who come to shop. Some come in often and eagerly, while others wait until they are sure no one else is there, asking Ms. Thomas to double bag the items. These students store them in their lockers and take them home in small amounts tucked in their backpacks.
The Steel Valley staff hopes to expand the closet for next year, to provide more assistance to the elementary schools in the region and to better match the donated products to its student population.
In the meantime, staff is determining what students need and want.
The first item on the list, Ms. Thomas said, is more body wash — both because of the nice smells and for ease of sharing among family.
For Madeline Michaels, a senior and frequent visitor to the Caring Closet, the body wash is a favorite among her five siblings, who range in age from 6 months to 16 years.
“They love the stuff I put in the tub for them,” she said of her younger siblings. “[My brother] loves the coconut body wash. We use it because it makes bubbles.”
Her mother is a stay-athome mom, her father recently got a new job and she is hoping to find a job in the summer.
“Sometimes we need it. Sometimes my dad can get it . ... They don’t mind if I bring stuff home,’’ Madeline said.