Throughout August and September, the nonprofit organization Catie’s Closet is hosting its ninth annual Fill the Bus initiative to collect clothes and other items needed by students in schools across the region. This year’s drive has a goal of raising $50,000 and collecting 80,000 items for Massachusetts and New Hampshire students.
Catie’s Closet began its work to support children in pre-K through grade 12 in 2010 when it opened its first “closet,” a physical store inside a school that offered free items such as clothing, toiletries, school supplies and shoes for students in need, CEO Mickey Cockrell told Reminder Publishing. Designed to support students in a way that suits individual needs, the organization worked with the School Department to give students access to the closet when the student reached out for help.
The closets provide “access to basic necessities that [students] need to show up and shine,” Cockrell said, highlighting the importance of this “on-demand, accessible” service in supporting students’ attendance, graduation rates and school engagement.
Today, Catie’s Closet works with 142 public schools to support 90,000 students, including 14 closets in Western Massachusetts.
As the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser, the Fill the Bus initiative collects items to support the increased need from students as they prepare to return to school and complete the first 30 days of classes, Cockrell stated. She noted that receiving this type of support can be “life-changing” for a student in need.
“On the first day of school, thousands of students will show up without a backpack,” proper school supplies or a good pair of shoes,” Cockrell said. Items donated to Catie’s Closet support schools in Boston, Merrimack Valley and Springfield as well as 17 locations in New Hampshire.
There are four ways that residents can support the initiative; donate or purchase items, donate funds through a sponsorship, participate in the 4th annual Virtual 5K event, or host a clothing drive.
Donate
For residents interested in donating items to Fill the Bus, items can be given individually or through specified “confidence packs,” which are set collections of multiple items within a backpack. This year’s confidence packs are the hygiene packs, school packs, undies packs and back to school pack, Catie’s Closet stated. Each pack contains basic necessity items within the pack’s theme, such as the teen hygiene pack that should include body lotion, body wash, deodorant, shampoo, a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Residents can bring any donated items to one of the organization’s distribution centers. For Hampden County, the closest center is the newest one at 16 Deer Park Dr. in East Longmeadow, Cockrell said. This center opened in March. Other centers are located at 28 Loon Hill Rd. in Dracut and 63 Sprague St. in Boston.
To purchase new items to donate, residents can utilize the nonprofit’s Amazon Wish List to purchase items needed within a specific region. Purchased items are directly shipped to the appropriate distribution center, the organization stated. More information is available online at catiescloset.org/get-involved/#amazon.
Sponsor
To offer financial support, residents or businesses can also purchase different sponsorships.
Sponsorship costs range from $1,000 to $5,000 and support the organization’s $50,000 donation goal, according to the nonprofit.
Race
Another part of the Fill the Bus initiative is the annual Virtual 5K event from Sept. 15-29. Within this event, residents and companies can register, participate in the 5K from their preferred location and record their final time, Cockrell explained. Registration is $30 per person and funds a new pair of sneakers for a student.
Cockrell noted that the 5K event purchased 400-500 sneakers during the 2023 Fill the Bus initiative with participants competing as far away as Dubai, UAE. At the event’s conclusion, participants are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals.
Host
The final way that residents and businesses can support Fill the Bus is through hosting a clothing drive. Drives can accept items including “socks and underwear, youth toiletries, kids clothing, [and] hoodies and sweatshirts,” the organization stated.
Depending on the location, items collected through a drive can be transported by Catie’s Closet to the nearest distribution center, Cockrell said.
“So many families have slid into the lower levels of poverty,” Cockrell emphasized, noting that items donated by Catie’s Closet support local families as well as migrants and residents who relocated from other parts of the state. She encouraged residents to “clean out [their] closets” and donate clothing to support students in need.
The Fill the Bus initiative runs until Sept. 30. For more information or to donate, visit catiescloset.org/event/fill-the-bus-2024.
