Allegheny Valley School District setting up clothes closets to fill a need for students

Danielle Britton was working as an intern in the Penn Hills School District when she decided to start a project to establish a supply closet, where students could pick up clothes and hygiene materials.

When she graduated and got a job with the Highlands School District, she was able to see that district’s supply closet in action.

“I didn’t get to see the final product at Penn Hills, but I got to see it (at Highlands), so when I got the opportunity at Allegheny Valley as a social worker, I wanted to start one,” Britton said.

She was hired as the Allegheny Valley School District’s social worker in 2019, but then the idea of a supply closet was shelved by the pandemic. When she repitched the idea in April, she said, she received a lot of support from school administrators.

“We had kind of informally done it for years, give out items for kids, but that’s when I thought, ‘Why don’t we just create a space so students know this is available for them?’ ” she said.

As the district’s social worker, Britton said she has seen firsthand the need for a supply closet. She said students have asked for backpacks and snacks, and that some wear ill-fitting shoes or clothes.

Donations being accepted are new or “extremely gently used” clothing, including shirts, pants, coats and shoes, as well as basic hygiene items such as shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, feminine products and deodorant. Already, the response from the community has been very positive, Britton said.

Closets will be set up at Acmetonia Primary School and Springdale High School, she said.

“We hope to have everything ready for students by mid-November,” she said.

Students will be involved with preparing the closet, she said. A voting contest will determine the closet’s name.

Hours have not been set for when students can pick up materials at the closet. At Springdale, the plan is for students to come in and “shop” for themselves during the open hours, no questions asked, for what they need and return the items to their lockers.

Acmetonia students and families will complete a form, and a counselor or teacher will take students to the store to facilitate distributing the materials, he said.

Britton hopes that once the closet is operational, students will be able to better concentrate on their schoolwork.

“That way, they can focus on their education in comfort and in confidence,” Britton said. “We want to create another accessible resource for children, a way to express themselves and have self-esteem.”

Springdale High School guidance counselor Rebecca Dyer said she thinks the closet will be a positive addition to the school. She said at a smaller-sized district such as Allegheny Valley, educators can develop a bond with students and better understand what their needs are.

“There is definitely a need here at our school, and I think the closet is going to be an opportunity for our kids to get what they need in a private way,” Dyer said.