The Walk-in-Closet program provides students and their families with clothing and toiletries to assist with their ability to attend school and be prepared for learning. By providing students with these items, our intention through the Walk-in-Closet is to give them a sense of dignity and hope and to persevere, despite their economic status.
Mandate of the Walk-In Closet Sub Committee:
Mandate of the Walk-In Closet Sub Committee:
- Establish a “model” Walk In Closet in order to assist other schools in establishing closets;
- Provide advice and assistance to schools that wish to establish Closets;
- Provide an outreach program for schools with isolated instances of need;
- Oversee the equitable distribution of large donations of toiletries, clothes, or food;
- Develop strategy and action plans for supporting students in the system, developing community partnership and resources and soliciting the public and private sector for support; and
- Ensure that the Board’s logistic resources can and will be used in support of the initiative.
What You Can Do To Help
It takes all of us together to support the success of our closets.
There are many ways for you to get involved to fill in the Walk-In Closets across the Board. If you would like to donate an article of clothing or toiletries, or if you have an idea for an event or school-based initiative such as a clothing drive, please contact Katie Carr, Co-Chair of the Walk-In Closet, at 905-689-7905 to help direct you on the right path and into the most needed closet.
The items that the Walk-In Closet Sub Committee look for includes:
- Articles of clothing including sweaters, shirts, jeans, pants, socks, underwear, coats, shoes etc. Please encourage that all clothing be washed prior to collection.
- Toiletries including toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo, etc.
Thank You To Our Partners!
- Eva Rothwell Centre
- First Student School Bus Transportation
- Hamilton Public Health
- Parkview Secondary Graduation Closet
- City Kidz
- CHCH TV
- The Ontario Parents Association
- And many other private and public donors!
Walk-In Closet Icon on FirstClass for HWDSB Staff
For HWDSB staff members, we recognize the most difficult part of the job is to identify a child who needs help and refer them to receive adequate resources. If you know of a student who may need a winter coat, socks, or other pieces of clothing, you can post a specific request on the internal FirstClass System and go to the Walk-In Closet Icon to find the student the item you have identified they need or what they are looking for. The clothing can then be picked up or shipped to your school. You can also view the Walk-In Closet Conference to see what other staff members are accessing from the other Walk-In Closets across the Board.
To find this information on the internal FirstClass email service, please go to your First Class Desktop, and with your mouse, double click on HWDSB Conferences. Once you have entered in the HWDSB Conference, please double click on HWDSB Info from Departments, and then double click on the Walk-In Closet Icon. Staff may wish to place this icon on your desktop.
Co-Chairs of the Walk-In Closet Sub Committee:
Elementary: Katie Carr, Principal of Mary Hopkins, 905-689-7905
Secondary: Simon Goodacre, V.P. of Ancaster High, 905-648-4468.
For more information about the Walk-In Closet initiative and for a virtual tour, Download our detailed presentation.
