As students race to their next hour, they often miss these hidden gems in the school. Full of goods to help the less privileged, the West Warehouse and Kindness Closet are heartwarming examples of generosity in school.

“[The West Warehouse is] something I started four years ago when I realized there was a need for part of our population to have extra support at home,” crisis edcounselor Melissa Tichy said. “Food was the easiest way for me to support them outside of our building and make things a little less stressful for them.”

Located near the concession stand, the warehouse stores canned and boxed goods that will be taken home by students in need. Backpacks are filled with food weekly to give to these students. However, students receiving the goods are not the only ones to benefit from the program.

“We went to a weekly backpack program, so now we have kids that are learning skills about grocery shopping, meal planning or life skills that are able to help pack the backpacks,” Tichy said.

Aiding only a limited amount of students in the school, it is easy to see why many are not aware of the warehouse. Although the reach seems small, the impact is substantial for these families.

“We currently have about 25 students using the pantry each week,” Tichy said. “In past years we have had anywhere from 10 to 30 students access the pantry.”

Often in need of more goods, the warehouse receives most of their donations from food drives run by Student Council and National Honors Society. However, students can contribute to the pantry year round.

“The biggest way for students to help is to participate in food drives, but they can also donate food at any point,” Tichy said. “All they need to do is contact me so it can be dropped off to me or the guidance office.”

The school is full of generous teachers and students, and the warehouse is not the only way the school gives back. The Kindness Closet, located on the second floor near the middle stairwell, does too.

“The Kindness Closet is a very similar concept to the warehouse except it is designed for clothes,” Tichy said. “So if there is someone in need for clothes, they hit a growth spurt or their parents do not have the money to get them to the store, we can provide some of those things for them.”

Students with disabilities that are learning life skills also aid in the organizing of the closet. The benefit spreads across groups in our school and into the homes of students in need.

“We plan to have more students shop [after all] the kindness closet is new this year,” Tichy said. “We have already had about 10 students access it.”

In order to donate new or used clothes to the Kindness Closet, or donate food to the West Warehouse, contact Mrs. Tichy. Her office is located in the back of the library.