Jillian Nelson came to The Clothing Closet with her mother and brother to pick out clothes and accessories for school.
“We get to pick out the clothes and shoes and get new stuff,” Jillian said.
“We have about 120 shoppers per month,” said Angie McClellan, homeless liaison for the Nassau County School District.
The Clothing Closet, as part of the school district's Families in Transition Program, helps homeless students and their families and is set up like a store.
“When we first started, we were setting it up the way we would go shopping,” McClellan said.
Heather Castillo said she and her children have been coming here for about a 1 1/2 years and are so grateful.
“It’s exciting to see them get so excited. I mean, it’s really a blessing that something like this is available to people that fall on hard times,” Castillo said.
There are 480 homeless students in Nassau County, 2,383 in Duval County and 692 in St. Johns County.
"Without the help, some of us wouldn't be able to give the kids what they need," Castillo said.
But The Clothing Closet is in need of volunteers
“We could use probably a crew of at least six in two- or three-hour shifts,” McClellan said.
Volunteers are needed to put the clothes on hangers on racks so families can look through them.
“If we had more volunteers here at one time, they could be doing other things, like reading to the kids,” McClellan said.
Castillo said the current volunteers are great and are like family to her children.
If you're able to volunteer your time, you can email McClellan at angie.mcclellan@nassau.k12.fl.us.
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