OVIEDO, Fla. — Heading back to school after the summer break is usually an exciting time for many.

Reuniting with friends, buying school supplies and clothes for the new school year are just some of the things that are top of mind for students.

But this time of year, can also be nerve-racking for those who might need a little more assistance.

Some members of Oviedo’s community have found a way to bridge that gap to help make the return to school a little smoother for certain students.

This comes at a time when Boys Town Central Florida, a foster home in Oviedo, noted an influx of community youth using its services this year.

One School Resource Officer from the Oviedo Police Department is stepping up to help kids in her city have what they need from school supplies to fresh sets of clothes for the new school year, Monday, Aug. 12.

Ashley Pierce is the School Resource Officer at Lawton Chiles Middle School in Oviedo.

She is no stranger to helping those in need in her community. 

Pierce has been helping kids in schools for over 15 years now, but this year, she noticed there was a greater need for clothes.

“I noticed an influx of kids who don’t necessarily have the clothing they need for the start of school, but also an influx of foster care kids. And with the foster care system, if it’s a removal situation, they leave with what they have,” said Pierce.

Seminole County Public Schools noted that there were more than 415 students in foster care for the 2023-2024 school year and over 3,500 students experiencing homelessness. 

To meet that need, Pierce launched a community closet that she named “Panther Threads” at the end of last school year, to collect clothing and shoes that will be donated to students who need it most, including homeless youth and those in foster care.

Pierce has spent the summer sorting through donation items such as clothes and shoes for elementary, middle and high school students at Lawton Chiles Middle School, though she says the community closet is accessible to every student who needs it in Oviedo.

Pierce acknowledges that having access to a fresh set of clothes before the school year is an essential need that can really go a long way.

“I want them to be able to pick out what they want, (what) they feel comfortable and secure in, because if they’re not comfortable and secure then it’s going to make for a hard day,” Pierce said.

She emphasized the importance of letting students pick out their own clothes, rather than handing them a bag of clothing that they “may be too embarrassed to wear.”

“On Monday, we’re going to take that student, let that student come in and pick out whatever they want. It will be during school hours that they can come,” said Pierce.

Executive Director of Boys Town Central Florida, Laurie Stern, says initiatives like Panther Threads help youth in foster care feel like they can fit in.

“They’re all teenagers, they want to belong, they want to fit in, they want to look a certain way, they want to have friends, they want to avoid bullying, so erasing some of that for our youth that are entering foster care is so important as we think about back-to-school,” said Stern.

Stern advocates for community involvement like this since she says it provides a “two-fold” of providing for basic needs, like school supplies and clothing, and providing a necessity for role models.

“We know that there are many kids that don’t have people they feel comfortable speaking with,” she said.

Stern also said it takes a village of community members like Pierce to break the stigma for youth in foster care who often deal with the pressure of a “fresh start” on the first day of school. 

Clothing donations are still being accepted and can be dropped off at Lawton Chiles Middle School Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.