Central High School provides needed items for students and community through Central Outfitters

WOODSTOCK, Va. (WHSV) - Since Aug 2021, Central High School’s care closet has blossomed and is now taking up multiple rooms in the school. Not only has it become a resource for students in the school, but monthly open houses has allowed them to extend it into the community.

The program is called Central Outfitters and it provides clothes, toiletries and food to students in Woodstock.

Students, civic groups and people in the community who have heard of Central Outfitters donate to it daily.

So much so, the first room they worked out of is not big enough anymore.

Chris Kaznosky, the director said when they first began clothes were stacked feet off the ground before they could sort them.

Kaznosky has a group of students who help maintain and manage the closet and pantry.

“There are students who have decided in their senior year they want to give back to the school and I’m fortunate to have 9 of them now who work with me,” Kaznosky said.

Central Outfitters has been opening these resources to the public once a month. Saturday they are hoping for their biggest event yet.

“We’ll have canned goods, we’ll have probably like spaghetti, but were also gonna have fresh produce and some meats there too,” Kaznosky said.

Along with making the clothes, food and personal care items available to everyone, first responders will be doing meet and greets.

Central High School‘s partnership with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank provides most of the food in the food pantry.

”Students can come in at any time if they need something they can take what they need. We have bags to the side they can go out discreetly or however they want as far as our food pantry goes we distribute twice a week,” Kaznosky said.

One family’s donations have allowed for homecoming and prom dresses along with suits to be available this year to students.

Kaznosky said personal care items like soap and deodorant are Central Outfitters’ biggest needs right now.

The open house will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Central High School.

The public is welcome to attend and donate or get items they need.

Youth groups, civic organizations and JMU’s Tri Sigma will be in attendance.

To donate items reach out to Chris Kaznosky atcmkaznosky@shenandoah.k12.va.us.