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HASD store aids students in need

Donations sought to stock Tiger Treasures shelves

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The new Tiger Treasure Store, offering free clothing and other essentials to students, will be up and running soon at the Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School.

Donations to help the HASD Foundation and the Aevidum student group stock the store will be accepted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, on the auditorium side of the school.

Jodie Albarano of the HASD Foundation said there has been talk about hosting a site for kids to get needed items, but now that space has been found to house the store, it’s finally becoming a reality.

The idea is to offer students items they may have forgotten at home or need, such as personal hygiene items — all for free.

In an effort to get the store stocked, “we thought we would ask the community to help us,” she said.

Items needed for the store include new or like new clothing items in sizes small to XXXL, shoes, coats, hats, gloves, hygiene items and brown paper bags with handles.

Aevidum adviser Jacqueline Settimio said the group’s name means “I got your back.”

“Here at Hollidaysburg, it promotes positivity and kindness with a focus on student mental health,” she said.

The store is right next to her classroom and was once an office.

“When I saw (the office was vacant), I asked my principal if we could have the space for the store, and he was on board with it as well,” Settimio said.

“It’s just a nice, non-threatening way to help out students,” Junior High School Principal Ken Krott said.

Students from the group will be sorting items and washing clothes to get them ready for the store.

“The kids are so excited to be involved in this; they are all there for each other,” Settimio said.

Students can visit the store during lunch periods, and Albarano said they are invited to get anything they need, such as a Tiger shirt for a game, deodorant for gym class or other essentials needed during the day.

There will be adult volunteers operating the store so it is not their peers, and they will have time to take items back to their lockers before class.

To donate items, Albarano said Saturday’s event will be conducted as a drive-thru, where people can drop off items without getting out of their cars.

“Volunteers will take care of moving the items from cars to carts and then will sort them in the school,” she said.

The plan is to hold additional drives in the future to keep the store stocked.

The store in the junior high is a pilot program, and there are plans to have similar stores in the high school and elementary schools when space opens up, Albarano said.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.

If you go

What: Drive-thru donation event to stock the Tiger Treasures Store

When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday

Where: Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School, auditorium side

Items needed: New or like new clothing items in sizes small to XXXL, shoes, coats, hats, gloves, hygiene items and brown paper bags with handles

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