by Cesse Ip

When Teach For America reached out to their alumni about donating a school resource closet, John Lewis Elementary School Principal Nikeysha Jackson knew that applying for it was a no-brainer. John Lewis serves grades PreK3 through 5th, and the school already had a community-supplied closet of clothes and extra necessities for things like accidents, spills and other common elementary school mishaps.

Teaming up with ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” schoolwear brand French Toast, and Teach For America is set to supply “school resource closets” to 10 schools across the country to ensure that students have access to essential clothing as they are in school. John Lewis was one of the selected to receive a closet, and it arrived just before Thanksgiving break, receiving several dozen brand new French Toast uniform pieces to complement their already existing supplies.

“The clothing resource [closet] will help to support our students and families with limited resources and remove some of the barriers to attending school,” said Principal Jackson.

While the French Toast pieces are a one-time donation that will benefit just a few families, the John Lewis School community is committed to supporting all families at the school. If you are interested in supporting the school with uniform pieces, please reach out to johnlewises@k12.dc.gov.