The Closet at Laguna High School is a "free student-clothing depot" that spans an entire room on the Forestville campus. Mark Fernquest reported on The Closet in a December 16th article for the Sebastopol Times titled "You Never Know What You'll Find in The Closet."
The article covers The Closet's origins, stating that the Kiwanis Club started it during COVID-19 to provide free clothing to students in need. It was initially in a closet on the Laguna Campus in Sebastopol. Since the consolidation, when Laguna moved to the Forestville campus, the closet has flourished and now takes up an entire classroom. The space "evokes a thrift-store atmosphere," Fernquest states, accommodating multiple clothing racks, standing mirrors, comfortable seating, and shelving units.
Now run independently of the Kiwanis Club, the Closet's official hours are Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. during the school year. It is run with the support of volunteers like those pictured above, who sort clothing and provide students with advice when needed. The Closet is wildly popular among students. "I love it. Because, honestly, there’s a bunch of kids in need who don’t have a lot of extra money to buy the clothes that they like or actually want to wear..." shares Odessa, a Laguna student. The Closet provides a safe space for camaraderie among students and staff and offers clothes, shoes, accessories, and toiletries.
The Closet could not operate without the support of our community, which supplies us with most of the clothing and shoe donations. Some even donate money to the closet, allowing staff to purchase new items like socks and underwear and take student purchase requests. Through our community's generosity, we opened the closet to our students' immediate family members, furthering The Closet's impact. Although The Closet receives excellent donations, School Board President Julie Aiello (pictured above to the far left) stated that guy's clothes are always needed.
With the success of the Laguna Clothes Closet, we are set to open a closet on the Analy campus in 2024 to provide more students with access to free clothing. Aiello shared that the Sebastopol Rotary donated $500 to Analy to purchase clothing racks to kickstart the project.
If you want to donate to the Laguna Clothes Closet, please call (707) 824-6484. If you would like to contribute to the Analy Closet, please contact our Wellness Coordinator, Shelia Richman, at srichman@wscuhsd.org.