Snacks, toothbrushes, jackets, socks, deodorant — Carolyn Collins' closet has it all.
Collins is a janitor at Tucker High School in Tucker, Georgia. Four years ago, Collins was at work early when two students, a brother and sister, approached her and asked if she could help them. They were living with their mom out of a car, and were there to get ready for school in the restrooms. Collins prepared them a fruit and cereal breakfast, and decided that she was going to set up a "giving closet" for students in need. "I knew that they weren't the only kids at school who were struggling," she told The Washington Post. "And I thought, 'I'm going to do whatever I can to help these kids.' High school is hard enough without being homeless."
Collins set up shop in an unused storage room near the cafeteria, and filled it with $200 worth of food and supplies. Students know they can come up to her at any time, and she'll let them into the closet so they can take whatever they need. Collins said she thinks the closet has helped 150 students since it opened, and teachers, other students, and neighbors help her keep it stocked. She doesn't want any student to feel ashamed or embarrassed about having to take items from the closet, and told the Post, "I just hug them and love them and let them know that I'm here for them." Collins, Tucker High School Principal Eric Parker said, has "such a giving heart, she's a beacon of light for every kid in need."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The trial of Jair Bolsonaro, the 'Trump of the tropics'The Explainer Brazil's former president will likely be found guilty of attempting military coup, despite US pressure and Trump allegiance
-
Telephobia: why young people are being taught how to make phone callsIn The Spotlight Young people are so scared of calls that they 'scream' when their phone rings
-
Crossword: September 2, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Penn wipes trans swimmer records in deal with Trumpspeed read The University of Pennsylvania will bar transgender students from its women's sports teams and retroactively strip a trans female swimmer of her titles
-
Supreme Court may bless church-run charter schoolsSpeed Read The case is 'one of the biggest on church and state in a generation'
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant moneySpeed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
-
Harvard loses $2.3B after rejecting Trump demandsspeed read The university denied the Trump administration's request for oversight and internal policy changes
-
USC under fire for canceling valedictorian speechSpeed Read Citing safety concerns, the university canceled a pro-Palestinian student's speech
-
Florida teachers can 'say gay' under settlementspeed read The state reached a settlement with challengers of the 2022 "Don't Say Gay" education law
-
Biden administration to forgive $39B in student loan debt for 800K borrowersSpeed Read
-
Advocacy groups challenge Harvard's legacy admissions policySpeed Read
