During the July 22 Catasauqua Communities That Care meeting, coalition members discussed the changes to Linton’s Closet.

Julie Miller, of Clean Organize Repeat, has been updating and expanding the closet, which has historically been used to help provide Catasauqua Middle School students with articles of clothing they might need.

Miller thinks they are missing an opportunity with the newly organized and expanded space. In previous meetings, CTC members talked about the possibility of opening the closet for students to come and peruse, acting similar to a thrift store.

Miller wants to take this idea and offer scheduled times for students to come and “shop” the offerings for what they need. Amy Dymond-Jones, CMS counselor and CTC coordinator, noted the school’s eighth period is flexible, non-instruction time the students often use for clubs to meet. Miller suggested scheduling a time once or twice a week when she can be there to help facilitate.

Dymond-Jones noted she has to clear everything with CMS Principal Patrick McNulty. She added they should get it all set to start with the new school year since students already have “new” on their brains.

It was also suggested keeping the closet open until about 3 p.m. This way students who ride the bus can get in there early, and the students who walk or get picked up can explore the closet a little later.

CTC members agreed the closet should also be open to the whole school and not just the students receiving food bags from the Catasauqua Community Cares Program. Lois Reed, C3P coordinator, noted there are more students in the district who are economically disadvantaged than who take part in C3P, so this initiative would be a good way to reach and help more students.

There was also discussion about expanding the reach to include Catasauqua High School students. It was noted Miller should get a district email address for the closet, so students can reach out if they need something.

Miller also noted she is still in need of more racks for the closet. She added all the donations should go through her first, so they don’t waste time having to get rid of anything not needed.

Looking ahead, Miller said she is already making plans for the Santa Shop in December. She said she wants to have something more to cater to the older children and teenagers, such as more personal care items.

Reed gave a report on the C3P food distributions so far.

“We are making it through the summer,” she said.

There are concerns about the future of the program with the closing of the Feed the Children site in Bethlehem. Reed reported the program got a lot from Feed the Children, so this closure will heavily impact the future of the program.

Reed said they are getting through the stockpile of Feed the Children items she previously acquired, but the supplies are starting to dwindle. She noted she managed to stretch the last of the school district staff donations through the summer as well.

Reed was happy to report they are able to hand out school supplies to the C3P students during the Aug. 12 food distribution. Reed mentioned they took the grade supplies lists and matched all the items to make sure they have it all covered. She lauded donations from the Rotary Club, Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church and more. She also said they have backpacks for the students as well.

The only issue she was having was getting new headphones for students, which was included in the supplies list. She reported they are a pricier item, and they need approximately 75, so it was expected to be a challenge.

Pastor Brian Riedy, of Holy Trinity, said they just received a donation, so the church can help cover the costs of the headphones.

The rest of the meeting was spent planning the group’s community Live Well, Be Well event, scheduled for noon-3 p.m. Aug. 29 at Sheckler Elementary School. The event will include presentations and activities, such as mindfulness and stress management, spiritual practices to help with stress, blood pressure readings, hands-only CPR demonstrations and more.

CTC members suggested reaching out beyond the coalition and into the community for others who may be interested in taking part, such as Catasauqua Garden Club, Center for Humanistic Change, Lehigh County Emergency Management, Catasauqua Community Food Bank, Public Library of Catasauqua, local police, fire and EMS services and more.

The coalition members will continue meeting to solidify the plans for the event since it is approaching quickly.

The next regular Catasauqua CTC meeting is set for 7:45 a.m. Aug. 12.