Article Text

Arlington students turned Washington-Liberty High School’s cafeteria into a free clothing shop on Sunday, Feb. 2, pairing community service with a push to reduce waste.

The second annual event collected 1,200 articles of clothing from community members. About 75 shoppers took home roughly 400 items at no cost, while the remaining donations went to organizations including Goodwill, CasaMariflor and PathForward.

One donor arrived with a rack of nearly new Hawaiian shirts. Her recently retired husband, a second-grade teacher, had worn a different Hawaiian shirt to class each day.

Casual Adventure Outfitters contributed clothing and hangers for the second consecutive year. Eleanor Hodges of Eco-Action Arlington and volunteer Laura Wachtmann oversaw the event.

Students for Climate Action also used the shop to raise awareness and seek donations for a composting trial. The group hopes to place compost bins in school cafeterias, allowing a local small business to collect uneaten food and turn it into soil-enriching compost instead of sending it to a landfill.

The free shop also gave Arlington students an opportunity to volunteer, lead an environmental project and encourage residents to reconsider fast fashion and discarded clothing.

The event began a year earlier with significant leadership from then-Washington-Liberty senior Cheyenne Klapper and other members of Arlington Students for Climate Action. Their work during a busy senior year helped make the first shop successful enough to return for a second year.

Klapper was later honored by Points of Light, an Atlanta-based organization that promotes volunteer service. She received the award during Volunteer Arlington’s eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, attended by Points of Light Chief Development Officer Katherine O’Hare.

“I just try to remember how important it is that I’m using my passion and empathy to create change,” Klapper said. “Any movement toward the goal is a step in the right direction.”