PHOENIX — A transformative project at Barry Goldwater High School to revamp and reinvigorate a room fondly dubbed the "Giving Closet,” is ready to be unveiled.
“Even after putting everything in we still have room to grow,” said Heather Smith to School Resource Officer Valerie Rhodes Thursday.
Smith and Rhodes are taking in the sight and joy of a recently finished renovation project this morning. Just a few months earlier, the closet brimmed with compassion but fell short in terms of its visual presentation.
“A lot of our kids come with a lot of baggage, and if I can ease some of that baggage and help them out, why wouldn’t I?” asked Smith. "We are a Title I school so we have a lot of children in need here."
Smith took over the Giving Closet a few years ago when it was just in a small area of the nurse's office. The clothing selections at the time were minimal. The goal of the closet now and then, was to provide the school's low-income and at times homeless students free clothing, shoes, hygiene products, food, and other essentials they may need from time to time. Smith decided to move it from the office to a larger space in the gym and work hard to increase donations.
With success came one problem, they were quickly running out of space.
“Because it was running so well, we got more donations than we knew what to do with,” said Smith. “It became very disorganized and just didn’t look good or feel welcoming.”
She knew something had to be done but it would take a visit from Officer Rhodes to put it in motion.
“I didn’t know anything about the closet, but somebody said, 'hey can you take a kid up to the Giving Closet' and I said 'ok where is it,'” said Rhodes. “Clothing racks were kind of falling apart, clothes were stacked on tables and on the floor and I just wanted something better for our students who are already facing so many challenges.”
She recognized the closet's goal and saw its potential but decided to help ofer a facelift.
“I was gonna build some shelves,” said Rhodes with a laugh.
It didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t enough.
“So, I contacted Toll Brothers and spoke to Jessica Walls, who absolutely loved the idea,” said Rhodes.
Younger Brothers and Alliance Painting joined hands with Toll Brothers and infused the closet with $20,000 in upgrades.
Students like Connor Norwood and Staci Olson alongside faculty put on the finishing touches by organizing each shelf by size, style, and colors.
“We want them to feel comfortable, so they come up here and it looks like an actual store, like they’re walking into a Ross,” said Norwood. “I had to pinch myself when I saw it finished. In fact, we recently had a student whose house burned down, and they were able to come here and get some stuff for themselves and their family.”
Coming from a low-income background herself, Olson found solace in the closet during her times of need; now, she offers her help to support others in need.
“When you come here you feel scared but once you find something, I could wear this, and this and actually look good and feel myself they’ll feel like a whole new person coming out of here,” said Olson.
More than a mere closet, it’s now a community lifeline to empower those who need it most.