food

Torrington Students Provide Caring Closet For Classmates

Students in Torrington are working together to help those in their community in the greatest need.

At The Care Closet in Torrington high school student volunteers are sorting through boxes of clothing and personal items.

The doors to the room, located right inside the school, are now always open, in order to help students struggling with homelessness.

“I think it just makes life easier. They don’t have to come to school and worry you know that they don’t have certain things,” said Jessica Power, a senior.

School social worker Claire Pepper says homelessness is a real problem. She estimates that as many as one out of every eight students is suffering.

“They might be at different friend's houses different nights. Different relatives houses some might be in a hotel situation cut, some might be in a shelter and some are actually on the streets,” Pepper said.

While The Care Closet has plenty of clothes and toiletries, it is in need of gift cards so students can buy food.

“They can’t prepare food on their own. This way with the grocery gift cards they can go and get food that they can just take and go,” Pepper explained.

The Care Closet recently received a small grant from the Connecticut Coalition Against Homelessness to purchase some gift cards, and they continue to take donations.

“The more we can get their basic needs met build relationships with our students, The more are students are going to be vested in their education, and really best in school, and that’s what we want,” Pepper said.

Students can take whatever they need from The Care Closet. It’s all confidential.

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