A Bolles student and Ponte Vedra Beach resident has formed a nonprofit organization focused on offering clothing, household products and other items to those in need.
Luke Piatt, a student at the Bolles Upper School San Jose Campus, developed Clean Closets in 2016. He said he devised the idea in middle school after passing by an orphanage during his commute to school, which sparked his curiosity.
"Every time I got home, I found that I had all these hand-me-downs from my brothers that me and him didn't use," he said. "I realized, 'Hey, I could help the orphanage by donating this stuff to them,’ and so through that, I started the organization. We started collecting stuff from our neighbors and getting clothes together to the other charities as well."
Piatt's main mission is to assist the underprivileged and make sure everyone has clothing.
"We also do other items as well besides clothing," he noted. "We do household items, printers and other things too."
Piatt's nonprofit organizes drives and attempts to meet the needs of the community. Additionally, the organization helps with disaster relief efforts such as hurricane cleanup.
One of Piatt's personal goals is to put more time into his nonprofit after graduating from high school.
"It's definitely hard for me with school and sports to really work on it so there's definitely going to be more work into it once I graduate," he said "There is going to be more gradual (work) while I'm in school."
This winter, Piatt plans on holding a drive for coats, blankets, socks and other items to help people keep warm.
Anyone interested in sending donations to Clean Closets can do so by dropping off items at Country Club Real Estate, located at 880 A1A in Ponte Vedra Beach. Alternatively, interested donors can contact the nonprofit and have items picked up from a specific location.
For more information on Clean Closets, visit www.cleanclosets.org.
