July 2, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
The DeKalb Middle School Saint Bernard Clothing Market is in need of donations in time for Back to School.
Donations will be accepted for the third annual market at DeKalb Middle School on July 3, July 12, and July 26 from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.
If you would like to drop off donations are other times please email Suzette Barnes at suzettebarnes@dekalbschools.net to let her know.
Barnes and Angela Johnson, sponsors of the DMS Student Council said the clothing market was started two years ago as a way of serving students who were in need of clothes and shoes.
“We saw a need at the beginning of the school year a couple of years ago where students needed clothes and shoes so we felt like it was a worthy cause. We started working together to get people to help us volunteer to make it happen,” said Johnson.
“We collect clothes during the summer so if you are cleaning out from a yard sale and you have good items you would like to donate to students here at DeKalb Middle School we will take them. We will set up a store in our gym on registration day later this summer where the students can shop,” said Barnes
“It has really been successful in the previous two years we have done this. We even have grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and they need clothes and supplies so we have been able to supply them during their times of need when they bring the kids in to register for school,” Barnes continued.
“This is for Middle School sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students and we allow their families to shop too if they need clothing or materials. Any child is eligible. We open it up for our entire school. Any of our students can come and participate in it. We try to furnish shoes, jackets, and any type of clothing as well as backpacks. Of course we can’t do it without donations. If people in the community would like to donate things they think teenagers would wear we can take those donations during the drop off times,” said Barnes.
“It seems we need the smaller and larger sizes of clothes more than anything and shoes. We also collect personal hygiene products and try to send some of those home with the students such as deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.,” added Johnson.
“We don’t take household items. We stay away from that but we do need clothes in youth large to adult extra large sizes including anything that has elastic waistbands like sweatpants or leggings. Those come in handy because we can use them on different sized students,” added Barnes.
Although cash donations can be accepted for purchase of clothes it is not preferred.
After the clothes are collected, the school will set aside times during registration for the new school year when students in the sixth through eighth grade at DeKalb Middle can shop for clothes and shoes free of charge.
“When sixth graders come in to register they will get to go in and shop and then August 1 seventh and eighth graders can shop at that time,” said Barnes.