Everyone needs basic necessities, but sometimes families can’t afford them, so Newton High School decided to open a Boxcar where families or students can get basic necessities in room 1-128. 

Tiffany Stephey, Assistant Principal at Newton High School, said a $5,000 donation from United Way helped start the Boxcar, as well as some donations from the community.

 “A lot of the shelving and hygiene products in there are from that initial donation,” Stephey said.

The Ribbon cutting was on Oct. 26, kicking off the Boxcar. Stephey said it is easy for students to obtain the items, you just have to contact her and set up a time to grab the item you need, and everything is confidential so no student has to worry about people knowing. 

“We have a student intern that works down there on gold days for a couple of hours, and they’ve signed a confidentiality agreement,” Stephey said.

The Boxcar was made to help anyone in need. It is a way for students and families to obtain essential supplies. Talks about the Boxcar started last year when former principal Caleb Smith brought up the idea. Then they received the donation from United Way. 

“We all liked the idea,” Stephey said.

Stephey said when the seasons change they need different clothing. Since it’s getting colder, Stephy sent out an email to churches and thrift stores asking for donations, And a lot of the time they help. 

“We’ve had some high school students that want black or grey gloves, so I’m looking into sending something out so we can get more of those,” Stephey said. 

The community is a very big part of the Railer Boxcar. They supply most of the items, mostly clothes. Stephy also said an organization called Mirror donated 20 huge bags of drycleaned coats for the Boxcar.

“You want a coat, come get it. Doesn’t need to be confidential, were just gonna put them out in the hallway and anyone who wants a coat can come to find one,” Stephey said 

Sophomore Jett Miller believes that the Boxcar will help, but the word needs to be spread about the Boxcar. Miller also feels like the Boxcar is a very good thing for people that don’t have basic necessities.

“I feel like we need to get the word out a lot more,” Miller said.

Junior Ian Baker thinks the Boxcar will help people in need, especially with winter break coming up. However, he says that not enough students know about its services. 

“I feel like not enough kids at this school know that we have something to help those in need,” Baker said. 

Both Miller and Baker think the Railer Boxcar will benefit people in the community. They agree that only some know the Boxcar even exists. They think that the word needs to be spread about the Railer Boxcar.

“When it comes to the community [I feel] like the Boxcar will help people in need,” Miller said.