BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford Transition Academy continue to work to serve their community as they recently began helping out at Madison Street Baptist Church of Starke’s Clothes Closet.
Transition Academy students, who are developmentally disabled, had already been assisting at the Bradford Food Pantry, something they’ve done for a number of years. Lisa Gault, the Transition Academy instructor, said she heard of the clothes closet from someone at the food pantry. She called the church and asked Lisa Butler, who’s involved with the clothes closet, if they could use any help. Gault said the reply was, “We’ll take any help we can get.”
The clothes closet is open on Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Transition Academy students Elijah Alexander, Summer Crews and Tyler Williams are taken to the church at 10 a.m. every Tuesday and work before the clothes closet opens to the public. (Student Sai Ruiz also helped before moving out of the state.) Gault said students separate hangers and hang clothing up.
Some of the items students hung up came from the North Florida Technical College campus (where the Transition Academy is housed), which has a donation box courtesy of Lawtey Correctional Institution. Gault said the box, which is red and features a tornado, is always full.
“It’s been amazing. Overwhelming,” she said of the community’s response. “All we did was just put it on Facebook.”
Butler said the clothes closet is never lacking in donations.
“Every week, we’re slammed with people coming in with clothes.”
The Transition Academy has also helped get the word out about the clothes closet while working at the food pantry.
“We’ve been taking a flyer and going to every car on Fridays,” Gault said. “We figure those are good people to see it. We go out there and introduce ourselves and say, ‘Hey, do you know about the clothes closet?’”
Butler said, “That has increased our numbers as far as new families.”
Normally, 20-25 families visit the clothes closet each week, Butler said, explaining that anyone can come in once a month. People don’t have to meet any requirements as far as income, etc.
Each person receives two plastic shopping bags to fill.
“They do their own shopping,” Butler said.
The clothes closet has been in existence for more than 10 years.
Besides helping out in the form of community service, Transition Academy students learn life skills, such as how to follow directions and working with and communicating with others. Working at the food pantry gives them the opportunity to interact not just with food pantry volunteers, but with the people who come for food.
“I make them go from car to car with me,” Gault said.
Gault said she’s heard people at the food pantry say, “Wow. I didn’t realize your kids could do so much.”
“A lot of these young people can do a lot,” Gault said. “We just don’t give them the credit or the time. Just take the time and show them. They can do it.”
