8th-grader creates closet at school so classmates can have new clothes and supplies
Whether it's a new dress shirt or a pack of pencils, students at Port Allen Middle School in Port Allen, Louisiana, just have to head over to PAMs Pantry to pick up what they need.
Chase Neyland-Square, 13, is an eighth-grader at Port Allen Middle School, and came up with the idea for PAMs Pantry while participating in the Student Program for Arts, Recreation, and Knowledge. Kids think up ways to improve the school, and some — like PAMs Pantry and extending recess — are implemented.
Neyland-Square told WAFB he realized he is "fortunate to have things that other people don't have, and I look at it as, 'How would I feel in that situation?'" That's why he worked to set up PAMs Pantry in the gym, which is filled with donated dresses, pants, shirts, jackets, and stacks and stacks of school supplies and hygiene items. PAMs Pantry recently helped a family that lost everything in a house fire. "They came in and got a whole new closet full of clothes," Neyland-Square said. Giving back comes naturally to Neyland-Square, his mom, Amanda, told Good Morning America; he hosts dinners for senior citizens and has donated 700 pairs of socks to local homeless people. Catherine Garcia
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How AI-generated images are threatening science
Under The Radar Publishers and specialists are struggling to keep up with the impact of new content
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The Week contest: Demotivational coach
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - November 15, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 15, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published