OAKHURST, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A love of fashion sparked an idea for one student to give back.
She’s created a program that provides students access to a free clothing subscription box.
‘Mountain Youth Club Oakhurst‘ or ‘MY Club Oakhurst’ is an after-school program and expanded learning opportunity for students.
It’s also now home to ‘Mountain Youth Closet Box‘, created and operated by high school junior Madeline Townsend.
“I know kids aren’t always able to get what they want, and I wanted to make sure every kid over here can experience fashion the way that I do,” Townsend said.
Maddy, as she likes to be called, loves fashion.
After taking part in an internship at Vogue in New York City last summer, she came back and ‘MY Closet Box’ was born.
Thanks to business and community donations, students in 5th -12th grade can request a free clothing box once a month.
They submit their sizes, as well as brands and styles they like, and leave the rest up to Maddy.
“Like two times a week, I come to this room specifically, and the kids and I curate the boxes we have,” Townsend said.
Other students, like 7th graders Ellessa and Bella Foster, help put them together.
Clothes are boxed with attention to detail in mind and a few fashion tips and tricks thrown in.
The boxes get dropped off at the student’s school site for pick up.
The clothes are theirs to keep.
So far, about 100 boxes have been given out and about a dozen students have asked for a new box each month.
Maddy’s reach is expanding – she’s recently teamed up with “Students Rebuild Altadena” to help teens in LA re-fill their closets following the January fires.
Her goal is for this service to give students a chance to express themselves.
“I’m hoping they just learn more about fashion and experiment with it, and maybe find a new style that they like,” Townsend said.
MY Closet Box is accepting new or gently used clothing for kids in 5th – 12th grade.
Donations can be dropped off at MY Club Oakhurst or you can make a monetary donation online by clicking here.
