Parents of Leander ISD students who need shirts, pants, shoes and jackets have an option to find those items free of charge at LISD’s Clothes Closet.

From a building located at 324 South West Drive in Leander, the program distributes clothing items for LISD students in all grades. Program chairwoman Poppy Jones said any parent or guardian of an LISD student, or an older student, can obtain a voucher from a school nurse to obtain clothing.

“We’re allowing people to take more shirts and more outerwear,” such as eight shirts and five pants per child per school semester, Jones said.

The program is funded by and operates under the LISD Council of PTAs. Donors can drop off new or used clothes at LISD schools or in outdoor bins, she said. Every year the program has volunteers from each school and a core group of six volunteers who help organize the donated items, Jones said.

Clothing items in adult sizes and also unsuitable for daily school wear are not usable for the closet, volunteers said.

The store is open to shoppers with vouchers each school year on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-noon and on one Saturday each month. However, volunteers face challenges reaching people who need clothing the most, volunteers Yana Richter and Jessica Recupito said.

“[People] might not come just because they don’t want to make it known,” Richter said.

Parents may also not want others to know they need financial or transportation help, Recupito said. However, families only need to show proof of LISD attendance to receive vouchers, they said.

Volunteers said previously they have rotated out warm- and cold-weather items on their shelves, but this year they are keeping all items available year-round. Volunteers also recently added a play area with a television to keep children occupied while their parents browse for items.

Jones said she hopes to make other improvements, such as an on-site storage building or a newer store floor.

“Every so often we have people who just tell us something that happened,” Richter said. “They lost a job, haven’t had a job in a while. This is just a big deal for them. [It] really helps them.”

 

Leander ISD Clothes Closet
324 South West Drive, Leander
https://lisd.council.my-pta.org
Hours: Tue. 10 a.m.-noon
(One Saturday each month except for during school holidays)