When an employee of The Journal witnessed a student walking to school without proper clothing last winter, the story touched the entire office.

Rob Davenport, publisher, recalls the day clearly.

It was a bitterly cold day and an employee offered a ride to a student who was walking to school without a hat or mittens and was only wearing a lightweight jacket.

“She was upset about it,” he said. “We were all kind of down that day.”

Knowing the student wasn’t the only one not properly dressed for Borderland’s cold winter days, Davenport started thinking of an idea. He wanted to help organize an effort that provides winter clothing to students in need.

“We just said we’re going to do something about it,” he said.

The idea idled for the spring and summer months, but once cooler weather moved in, plans to implement a wider effort starting taking form.

“I talked to my department heads and they were supportive of the idea,” Davenport said. An office contest named the project Bronco Kids Closet.

Davenport knew the effort needed was bigger than The Journal and wider than the winter. He reached out to Falls Superintendent Kevin Grover to confirm the need and work out a way to identify students in need and how to distribute items in an anonymous way. After talking to Grover and the schools’ principals, the local Partners in Education group became involved and the team decided, rather than purchasing clothing, to collect money and when a need came up, teachers could reach out to PIE for funds to purchase what they need.

“There’s every kind of size and shape of child and we have no way of knowing who needs what,” Davenport said, adding the need continues in the spring months. “A lot of the older students need tennis shoes or bathing suits… The needs may change with the age group… Whatever the child needs to succeed in school, that’s what we’ll do.”

But where does the money come from? That’s where The Journal’s readers come in. Bill stuffers will be sent out to subscribers allow them to “overpay” their subscription. The surplus will go to Bronco Kids Closet.

Not a subscriber? Readers and others can contribute by dropping off or mailing a donation of any amount to The Journal, 1602 Highway 71, International Falls, MN 56649.

The Journal will match up to $1,000 of donations collected during November. Davenport is hopeful the effort will ease the stress that comes along with school.

“Kids need to be confident and comfortable in school,” he said. “School is hard enough as it is… There are many teachers and others in the community who do this on their own… We want to help them, too.”

The need is there

When it comes to the community’s variety of needs, the school is no different, said Grover.

“We have students that come to school without adequate winter clothing or even a decent pair of shoes,” he said. “It is a delicate topic to approach, but when done correctly, we are often able to get these students some help.”

The district’s social worker, Laurie Youso, agreed the need is there. She said some families struggle to keep up with the demand of their children outgrowing clothing, especially if there are multiple children for which to buy.

“It can get expensive for families,” she said.

Both officials said they see school staff purchasing items on their own, and while Grover said it warms his heart, he is grateful another group is stepping in to help.

“This community is amazing in the support for all the different needs and this is another example of a group stepping up to meet the needs of people that need a little help,” he said.

With the project’s launch, the superintendent stressed students’ privacy will be maintained.

“Everything is confidential and we will not let any personal information out,” he said. “We will have the conversation with the family and make sure it is acceptable to help out. PIE is going to be the fiscal host and will purchase the item and get it to the school person working with this family. Our staff will get the jacket to the family. It is a complete confidential process that will benefit some students in need.”