Help Stock School Care Closets
A missing pair of shoes. Clean clothes. Basic hygiene items.
These small things can become big barriers for students.
Your support helps ensure students can walk into school feeling prepared, confident,
and ready to learn.
Students can only do their best when their basic needs are met first.
A care closet is a dedicated space inside a school where students and families can access everyday essentials when they need them most. These closets support students, families, and educators by providing items such as clothing, shoes, hygiene products, and nutritional snacks.
These requests are not for extras. They are for essentials that help students feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.
As more schools rely on Florida’s Unique Education Learning Support (FUELS) to help meet basic student needs, the demand continues to grow. Recently, one of our partner high schools made an urgent request for men’s and women’s shoes. It is a reminder that these needs are real, ongoing, and often immediate.
When we support care closets, we remove barriers so students can show up ready to learn and educators can focus on teaching.
WHAT IS A
CARE CLOSET?
What Care Closet Support Looks Like in Action
This video offers a behind-the-scenes look at how care closets are created and prepared for schools. From unpacking donated items to organizing supplies for delivery, this work happens long before a student ever opens a care closet door.
Care closets provide essential items such as hygiene products, clothing, shoes, and snacks so students can feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. Each shelf stocked represents dignity, care, and a community coming together to meet real needs inside our schools.
Care Closets in Action
This video captures a care closet refill at one of our partner schools. It shows donated items being delivered, unpacked, and placed directly into a care closet that serves students and families on campus.
Care closets are not one-time projects. They require ongoing support as student needs change throughout the school year. By working alongside school staff, Florida’s Unique Education Learning Support helps ensure care closets remain stocked with essential items students rely on.
This is what partnership, dignity, and community support look like in action.
Current Urgent Needs
Several local St. Petersburg schools have recently reached out with an urgent need for students’ tennis shoes. For many students, worn or ill-fitting shoes create barriers to comfort, confidence, and focus during the school day.
Care closets help schools respond quickly to needs like this, ensuring students have access to essentials that support their well-being and ability to learn.
In addition to athletic shoes, schools have also shared urgent needs for the following everyday essentials:
Socks (all sizes)
Underwear (all sizes)
Individually packaged snacks
Shampoo
Deodorant and body sprays
Body wash
Feminine hygiene products
Toothpaste
These items are among the most requested supplies across multiple schools. Needs change throughout the school year, and this section will be updated as schools reach out for support
Drop Off Locations
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Roe’s Deli & Catering
1100 94th Ave N St. Petersburg, FL
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Pet Supplies Plus
1123 62nd Ave N St. Petersburg, FL
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Beech Kombucha
3100 Fremont Terrace S St. Petersburg, FL
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AJ’s Personal Training
2130 Central Ave St. Petersburg, FL
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The Nest Batting Cages of Pinellas
6351 49th St N Pinellas Park, FL
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Supporting Schools Together
We are incredibly grateful to these local businesses for partnering with us to support school care closets. Their willingness to serve as drop-off locations helps ensure students and schools have access to essential items when they’re needed most.