On my way to gym class one day I mindlessly grabbed a t-shirt from the Lost and Found to wear as opposed to the sweatshirt I had on.

Gross? Maybe a little bit. But I would have been grosser had I worn my sweatshirt out in the sun to play World Cup.

I wore it for gym and took it home to wash it intending to return it to the rack. Then it entered the vortex that are the closets in my home.

The shirt now is lost to the world, but it sparked questions: could any of my peers have needed that shirt more than I? Does anyone else filch from the Lost and Found? If students don’t claim their belongings do we have the right to give them where they would be wanted and appreciated?

I, by no means, need more clothes, but others might.

Students who do not readily have access to clothing may be ill prepared for changes in weather, for accidental damage (stains, rips, breaks), or even unexpected growth spurts.

I asked Hall Monitor Mrs. Linda if she knew where our lost belongings ultimately end up and she enlightened me: once before Christmas and once at the end of the school year, clothes that aren’t claimed are taken to either Goodwill or St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store to be donated, or they are given to librarian Mrs. Erin Bechdel to be added to—something I didn’t know existed—The Care Closet.

The Care Closet, run and operated by Mrs. Bechdel, is for anyone who needs access to clothing or hygiene items.

If a student needs something to wear, whether that’s because they spilled something on their shirt or because they grew out of their only coat, they can ask Mrs. Bechdel to check The Care Closet for something new to wear.

All items in The Care Closet wardrobe are washed and then organized by gender and size for easy distribution.

Currently, lost clothing lives either in the high school Lost and Found (in the cafeteria) or in the separate middle school Lost and Found.

Hall monitors or other finders-of-items evaluate when and where belongings are found in order to send them to the right lost item reserve.

Anything that is electronic (AirPods for example) or of value (jewelry, glasses, etc) is taken to the main office and held there until someone comes searching for them.

If you have been missing something but not actively searching for it, I would suggest keeping your eyes open before it ends up in The Care Closet.

Or, if you’re feeling generous, don’t go searching for your lost items. Allow them to somehow end up with someone who needs it more.

And, probably don’t steal from the lost and found. Especially if your closet looks like mine (stuffed).

As opposed to mindlessly taking things from the Lost and Found, I think I am going to start intentionally losing a few things that I don’t wear in hopes that it might fill someone else’s closet—and you should too!