Modern civilization desires it our birthright to have access to basic necessities for keeping ourselves clean and hygienic. This promotes confidence in our appearance and avoids feelings of discomfort or inferiority.
One teacher from Niota, Tennessee has found it in her heart to create a comfort closet for low-income students at the school where she works. A former unused locker room that was previously used for generic storage has been transformed into a safe haven, where students can discreetly pick up free items such as clothing, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and even feminine hygiene products.
Discomfort Eradicated By The Comfort Closet
Vanessa Bateman along with her colleague Heather Malick are both teachers at Niota Elementary School in Tennessee. The school currently educates approximately 600 students, pre-kindergarten right through to eighth grade.
Bateman was at home watching the television series ‘The Wire’ when she was inspired by a scene where a teacher provides a student with a confidential area to shower. The teacher on the show even offers to take the boy’s clothes home for cleaning.
Vanessa saw this as behavior she would like to emulate and also teach her students. The comfort closet was born and the school community cupboard has been a huge success since.
She told 10 News “We had a student who was wearing a jacket that was a couple of sizes too big. It was getting in the way of writing and working so we got him a jacket that fit perfectly. He had to show everybody in class that it was new and it fit and that he had some matching pants to go along with it.” (1)
Husband Comes Out With The Closet
Vanessa’s husband, a law attorney, who goes by the handle of Teverok on Reddit, was so proud of his wife’s idea he decided to share it on the social media platform. The tale took off to the tune of 31k comments, with many followers sharing and discussing their own encounters with kindness. A Pay It Forward account has now been started, and Vanessa and Heather have hopes for similar closets or ideas to come together at other schools. (2)
Children In Poverty
Feelings of discomfort children may experience from not being able to afford to look and keep clean can have serious negative effects on both their physical and mental health. Studies have shown children in poverty may have increased absence from school, a lack of resources at home including basic utilities to do their homework, and even little interaction with their peers, through fear of standing out. (3)
With one in six children currently living below the poverty line in the USA, and with childhood and adolescence being a time of finding self-esteem and confidence, ideas like the comfort closet are nurturing for kids. They show that help and support doesn’t always have to come from home, especially when times are financially tough. Similar ideas, support, and love may connect them to the very people with whom they are fulfilling their destinies; their teachers. (4)
