SANDPOINT — As the days grow colder, local students are finding themselves in need of coats, gloves, socks and other items to keep them cozy in the winter months.

To help out their fellow peers, a couple of Sandpoint Middle School students are organizing a drive in November to collect items for a clothing closet at the school.

“We knew there was a need and we know there are a lot of people who have things that they are looking to donate, so we thought it would be a good idea to set up a closet here at the school,” said SMS counselor Jessica Lippi.

The initial drive will be held from Nov. 4-13 at SMS, with the ultimate goal of starting a rotating closet throughout the year.

“We want it to be continual, so anytime a student needs something, hopefully we can fill that need for them,” Lippi said.

The drive is spearheaded by two SMS students, Avery Vernon and Trinity Palmer, who have been working hard to get things ready. Avery, who said he enjoys Photoshop, designed a flyer to disperse, Trinity has been coming up with ideas, and both have been preparing the school for the drive. The pair have been cleaning out an old storage room that held some school supplies, which they organized and moved into the office.

“Not only have they been really helpful getting this program off the ground, but also contributing to our overall organization of the school,” Lippi said.

Avery and Trinity will be collecting, sorting and organizing the items as they come in, though Lippi said they will recruit other students to help as needed. There is a washer and dryer at the school, so they will be able to wash the items as they come in. Finan McDonald donated a rack to hang some of the clothing on as well.

Both Avery and Trinity said they weren’t sure about the project at first, but after they thought about it for a bit, Trinity said it “just seemed like a good thing to do.” Both students said they have clothes to donate to get the drive started as well, because it will help the students and their parents. Trinity said while she doesn’t have a lot of extra clothing, she wants to contribute what she can. Avery said he has a “huge” box of clothes in his closet that he doesn’t wear, though that has not always been the case.

One of the items the students said will likely be in high demand is new or like-new socks. They will also be looking for gently used coats, sweaters, shirts, pants, gloves, hats, and any other clothing items someone might wish to donate. Youth and adult sizes are welcome.

Donation bins will be set up inside the front doors of the school from Nov. 4-13, where anyone can drop items off during school hours.

The closet is expected to be ready by the time the students return from Thanksgiving break. Kids will be able to grab anything they need — no questions asked, and Lippi said the closet will be open to family members as well.

The school will also be setting up a Giving Tree in December in the main office, where people can grab a tag to purchase a gift to help out a child in need.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.