Burlington Public Schools Expands Mission to Serve Community Through Installation of Winn Street Closet

BURLINGTON — In 2023, Burlington Public Schools identified a need to provide for its community, and the Cambridge Closet was opened at Burlington High School. 

The closet, stocked with gently used and new clothing, coats, shoes, and personal hygiene products, is accessible to all high school students and their families, offering families in need a safe, welcoming space to have access to essentials. 

Still, the District wanted to do more. According to the US Census Bureau, just over 5% of children under 18 live below the poverty line in Burlington. With a middle school population as large as the high schools, and the town’s changing demographics and housing insecurity increases, Principal Timothy McMahon and Associate Principal Kevin McDonough approached Gloria Wojtaszek about opening a second closet at Marshall Simonds Middle School (MSMS). 

McMahon and McDonough, with help from organizers Wojtaszek, Julia McSweeney, and Cheryl Bianchi identified an on-site storage closet in an area that would allow families to park easily and enter and exit the building with privacy. Over the summer, the closet was repainted and cleaned to become the district’s second community
closet.

The Winn Street Closet, named for the school’s address, is open to students beginning Thursday, Oct. 9. 

The Winn Street closet will be stocked with the same amenities as the Cambridge Closet. Both closets are collecting donations throughout the year. Acceptable donations include new or gently-used tops, bottoms, shoes and athletic clothing, and new only undergarments, socks, winter hats, gloves and toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, lotion, feminine hygiene products). Donations should be clean, in good condition, and ready to be worn. 

School staff is able to support students throughout the school day as needs arise, and MSMS is currently working on a system for families to make individual appointments. At the BHS Cambridge Street Closet, Wotjaszek manages family appointments alongside Christina DiCroce, BHS World Language Teacher and Rosemary DeSousa, BPS Executive Administrative Assistant for the Central Office.

“The grand opening for me marks more than just the opening of a physical space, it is the realization of a shared belief,” said Wojtaszek. “This space stands as our unifying commitment: to work hand-in-hand to ensure that access to basic needs is never a barrier to a student’s success or their ability to thrive.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony included organizers, administrators, and local partners from the Burlington Mall, HELPIS: Help Me Help Someone, Inc. a social network that promotes and encourages kind and charitable deeds, and the People Helping People Burlington Food Pantry, who brought along numerous donations. These partners each play a role in helping to organize, support, and staff the closets, including donations of hangers and clothing racks from the Burlington Mall. 

Lauren Dalis, Director, Marketing, and Business Development at the Burlington Mall, has been a partner to the community since the opening of the Cambridge Closet and through the Simon Youth Foundation, which supports the District’s alternative programs. 

“It’s a sign of how strong our community is and how much they care about our kids,” said Principal McMahon. “We have ways to navigate providing things that they may not have access to, and I think that having the ability for our students to come down here if they’re in need without feeling embarrassed is really important.”

For more information about both closets, visit here. 

To make an appointment at the Cambridge Closet or to arrange a donation drop-off at either closet, contact Gloria Wojtaszek, wojtaszek@bpsk12.org. Additional contacts for the Cambridge Street closet are Rosemary DeSousa, desousa@bpsk12.org, and Christina DiCroce, cdicroce@bpsk12.org, and Julia McSweeney, jmcsweeney@bpsk12.org, for the Winn Street Closet.