NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Gulf High School plans to open the doors to "Buc's Boutique" on March 4. It's a place where students can pick up clothing – anything from outerwear to apparel to shoes – free of charge.
- Buc's Boutique will help students with clothing, toiletry needs
- High number of students at Gulf High are economically disadvantaged
- Want to help? Call (727) 774-3309
- More Pasco County headlines
“We see kids all the time coming in – or not coming in – because they don’t have detergent for clean clothes, they don’t have school appropriate clothes, they don’t have clothes that are for the weather. So they can’t get back and forth to school,” said Gulf High Parent Involvement Coordinator Andrea Morrow, who is one of the boutique’s organizers.
Gulf High is a Title I school, meaning a high number of students are economically disadvantaged. School social worker Kylie Owens said she sees the need.
“We’re always called for students who have needs, whether it’s socks or shoes,” Owens said. “I started keeping stuff in my office so I would have it available, and then it just got to the point where I was overflowing. So, that’s kind of how we came up with this idea.”
The boutique is stocked with donations from the school and surrounding communities. Students will be able to visit before school and during lunch periods.
“There’s a few that have come that have needed stuff throughout the year, but we’ve ended up kind of developing relationships where they seek out support in other areas as well now, or if there’s a need for other resources,” said Owens.
In addition to clothing, students can also get toiletries, like toothbrushes and toothpaste, along with undergarments and food.
“We’re trying to just make them feel like a whole person,” said Morrow. “We don’t want them to worry about something. If we can fix that here, that’s one less thing for them to worry about because they have so many other things that these kids are worrying about.”
Anyone who’d like to donate to Buc’s Boutique can call the main office at Gulf High at (727) 774-3309. Organizers are looking for gently used, school appropriate items.