Rappahannock PTO opens clothing cottage for children in need

Volunteer built, discreetly located and stocked with new and gently used goods

The Rappahannock Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) unveiled a new clothing cottage at Rappahannock County Elementary School (RCES) to provide clothing for students in need.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony last Wednesday marked its official opening, a project the PTO has been working on for nearly a year. 

The new elementary school clothing cottage follows an existing project at the high school called the Claws Closet. But the high school facility had fallen into disarray, according to Shelly Stoner, president of the Rappahannock PTO. It has since been cleaned up, organized and restocked.

The PTO applied for a grant last year to purchase the new cottage for the elementary school and was granted $17,000 from the PATH Foundation. Stoner said she made connections with Walmart in Warrenton, registered the PTO as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and signed up for Walmart’s donation program, which then resulted in a donation of 132 boxes of brand new clothes to stock both the high school and elementary school cottages. 

Stoner thanked the people and organizations that helped with the project, especially her children and husband, who she said helped build the new cottage and sort through the large donation. She said the 132 boxes were kept in the living room of her mother, Donna Miller, while the cottages were being completed. The clothes are sorted by age group to tailor to each schools’ needs, making it easier and more efficient to find clothing for students. 

“This project has been sweat, blood and tears,” Stoner said in her remarks to the crowd. “But I am extremely happy and proud to be a part of this, and to be a part of this community, and to help our children that really do need the help in this community and in our schools.”

School staff, members of the PTO, representatives from Walmart and other supporters gathered to celebrate the completion of the project. 

RCPS social worker Erica Jennejahn said there are many families in Rappahannock under financial constraints who are not always able to provide necessities like clothing for their children. Jennejahn said the fact that the clothing is new and the cottages are discreetly located helps to maintain the children and family’s privacy, and helps quell any stigma around accepting donated clothes. 

“We have clothing that is gently used but we also have brand new things with tags,” Jennejahn said. “I think for the kids, it really reduces the stigma of accepting donations and we are able to do it very discreetly.” 

Jennejahn said she has already utilized the clothing cottages and recently helped a student find a homecoming dress. “To see her pick out a beautiful dress and try it on and just light up. . . it made me tearful to see it, it was very exciting,”  Jennejahn said. “The hard work goes a long way.”

RCES assistant principal Jacqui Lowe-Barton added that while there are many resources and people who want to help community members, those resources are not always readily available when a need presents itself. She said since the clothing cottages are on school grounds, it makes it easier to help children with immediate needs. 

“So when a kid shows up Monday morning, and his little toes are poking through his sneakers, by 8:30 he can have new shoes on his feet without having to go through a process,” Lowe-Barton said. “It’s all just streamlined.”

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The cottages are not open to the public and can only be accessed by school social workers, counselors and families accompanied by school administrators. 

Stoner said the facilities are close to capacity, but the PTO will send out a list of additional items that are needed and an outline of what can be donated and how to do so. The letter will be sent home with students and posted on the Rappahannock PTO Facebook page. 

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