ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — School starts on Thursday in Pinellas County and until then, families have spent the last few weeks zig-zagging the store aisles to get every last item on their child's school supply list. For some, every item may not be in the budget.
Tracey Keim, a St. Petersburg High School teacher, is helping fill some of the gaps.
"I will privately tell them, 'Hey, I have a book bag for you,'" Keim said. "Or maybe another teacher will say, 'I need these school supplies for the student or the student needs deodorant. The student probably needs underpants or bras.' And we kind of do it that way. It's very quiet."
Each year, quietly, Keim helps St. Pete High students with her Green Devil's Pantry and Closet. The closet, named after St. Pete High's mascot, is stocked with donations to give students the essentials they need for day-to-day life.
"We have shampoo, we have cream brands, we have soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, the Methodist Church downtown donated more than 150 book bags, which we need desperately," Keim said.
Her closet has all the items students need to show up as their best selves each and every day. From feminine products to boxer briefs, she receives donations throughout the year to keep her shelves stocked. Keim has been a teacher for nearly 20 years. Like her students, she attended St. Pete High, graduating in 1987.
"It's really important, you know, you have to help people," Keim said.
She's changing the lives of her soon-to-be graduate students, helping roughly 500 kids a year.
"When students have been touched by the closet, whether they're a donor here at school, or whether they were a recipient, it impacts them," she said. "And the goal is for them to come back and give back and to learn about helping others without judgment without question."
And they do. What makes her closet all the more impactful: almost all donors are St. Pete High alum.
To donate to the Green Devil's Pantry and Closet, you can send a check to "SPHS Green Devil Pantry" or Venmo @GDPantry.
With the start of school just days away, here are a few items Keim is in need of:
Food items:
- Peanut Butter
- Jelly
- Small microwave meals
- Crackers with cheese/peanut butter
- Grits
- Cereal
- Breakfast bars
- Salty snacks
- Fruit Gummies
- Tuna
- Mayo
- Mac & cheese
- Pasta with sauce
- Rice and beans
- Fresh fruit
- Canned fruit
- Juice bags/boxes
Non-food Items:
- Laundry detergent pods
- Bar soap
- Liquid soap
- Body lotion
- Shampoo
- Combs
- Brushes
- Band-aids
- Toilet paper
- Hand soap
- Dish soap
- Kitchen sponges
- Kitchen brushes
- Cleaning supplies
- Pads
- Tampons
- Small pack of wipes
- Unopened cosmetics
- Hotel-sized lotion and mouthwash
- Reusable cloth shopping bags
- Paper goods
- Cutlery
- Bookbags
- Pens
- Pencils
- Folders
- Paper
Clothing items:
- New ladies cotton underwear (XS-XXL)
- New briefs (S-3XL)
- New tees (S-3XL)
- Gently worn or new SPHS logo, college, military (S-4XL)
- Socks - footie or athletic
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.