Jose 'JJ' Balderas
Two Springtown High School juniors are seeking a larger, more accessible space for a clothing closet they launched last year.
After hearing about the need to help fellow students get clothing, especially during the winter months, Keanu Bustamante and Nolan Luppy started a clothing drive at their school.
Both students said they recognized how fortunate they were to have the clothes they needed and wanted to help students who might not have the same access.
“I’m really grateful and fortunate to have clothes,” Bustamante said. “A lot of people don’t, especially for the upcoming winter season. It’s going to be really cold, and people need help with that.”
With the help of SHS principal Jamie Sturdivant, Bustamante said he and Luppy helped organize clothes donated by students and their families.
The response showed there was a need.
“I remember checking on the clothes in April and a good amount of clothes were taken,” Bustamante said. “Then I checked in May, almost right before school ended, and it was pretty much cleared out.”
While the clothing closet was successful, the two friends also saw problems with keeping it at school.
“You had to go through a whole scheduling process to go to the closet,” Bustamante said. “We got a lot of clothes last year, and there was almost too much to even hang up and store.”
The two students said the goal is not to have a massive building but a practical space where donated clothes can be organized and easy to look through.
“We just need a good space, something bigger than a regular clothing rack,” Bustamante said. “A workshop area — or something to set everything up and be organized.”
Luppy said he pictures a small hub with racks and sections for jackets, sweaters, shirts, pants and shoes.
“If I had a small corner — I would put racks so we could have categories,” he said.
More than space, the two students said privacy is one of the biggest reasons they want to move the drive into a community location.
“A lot of people that need clothes won’t go because they may feel embarrassed that other people are going to see them going there,” Bustamante said.
“I feel like they would be more comfortable and would have more time to actually get clothes if it was somewhere in the community that they could go to — that’s why we want to expand outside of the school.”
Luppy, who is in the Peer Assisted Leadership program, said providing clothes to students may be one way to help others not feel left out or targeted.
“It makes me sad to see that some kids get bullied for not having enough clothes,” he said.
“Especially in high school, where some people are not mature and might make fun of people. I feel it’s important for kids to go throughout high school with a good mindset and feel positive. High school is like one of the most important things in your lifetime — I just want everyone else to have the same opportunities and get the same respect as other people in the school,” Luppy said.
The clothing drive is not currently collecting items as Bustamante and Luppy continue to look for a donated space before winter.
Bustamante said they are willing to continue volunteering their time to organize clothes and are also looking for teenagers 14 and older to help.
While the clothing drive is intended to help students, Bustamante said he hopes the effort could eventually grow to help all families get access to clothing.
“I personally want this to be for everyone,” Bustamante said. “It’s not just a problem for some students; it’s a problem for people in this community.”
“If the students are struggling, then that means parents might be, too,” Luppy said.
Anyone interested in donating space for the clothing closet should contact Jacqueline Corredor at [email protected] or call 818-857-8768.
