Claremont Middle School expands Courtney’s Closet with donated storage unit

Claremont Middle School’s Courtney’s Closet picked up another storage unit June 2, giving SAU 6 more room to sort and store the donated items families rely on for everyday needs in Claremont. The district thanked Mike and Emily of Junction+Mulberry Storage for providing the unit and said it was already full of household items from Rick and Patty Deschaine and family.

The donation matters because Courtney’s Closet is built around practical support, not symbolic giving. SAU 6 says the resource provides clothing, winter gear, hygiene products, school supplies, bedding, mental health supports and more to the community. In a school system where family budgets can be strained by rent, utilities, clothing costs and sudden life changes, storage space becomes part of the service itself: without a place to hold and organize goods, donations cannot be turned into help that is ready when students need it.

The June 2 update also showed how much the project has grown. In a November post, the district said Courtney’s Closet had started 13 years ago with empty lockers at Claremont Middle School and had since expanded to three rooms at Stevens High School plus a new storage unit. That growth reflects a long-running, school-centered effort that now reaches beyond one building and into a broader network of donors and volunteers across Claremont.

Support has continued to come in from local businesses and families. SAU 6 said Lori Roy and Jordan Schucart of Pearce Jewelers gave $4,500 last November, which the district described as the largest donation ever for Courtney’s Closet. The district also promoted a Spring Open House and Resource Drop-In on April 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a final open house of the school year on May 23, underscoring that the closet is an active resource, not a one-time collection point.

Families seeking help are directed to school social worker Courtney Porter at cporter@sau6.org. The latest storage-unit donation adds one more layer to a program that has become a quiet but essential piece of the district’s support system, linking school needs to community generosity in a very direct way.