Caring Link describes countywide 'care closets' and student supports at Madison County Schools meeting

MADISON COUNTY, Ala. — Kate O’Neil, president of the nonprofit Caring Link, described the organization’s network of on-site “care closets,” a student-support initiative that provides clothing, hygiene supplies, snacks and other essentials in Madison County schools, at the March 25 Madison County Schools board meeting at Sparkman High School.

O’Neil said the charity’s goal is to remove barriers to learning by providing essentials on campus. “Students every day across our county show up ill prepared and not through any fault of their own,” O’Neil told the board. She explained that Caring Link places stocked closets on-site so students can access items without requiring a guardian to take them to off-site resources.

The organization, which O’Neil said serves more than 12,000 students countywide, has placed 10 closets inside Madison County School sites and a total of 15 closets across partner locations. Programs described included the Book Fairy (book fair gift certificates), Care to Join (fees and extracurricular support), snack-bin refills for classrooms and pop-up services such as a prom shop. O’Neil also described a “New Beginnings” school-readiness event planned for July that offers clothing, haircuts, vision and dental screening and other services.

O’Neil asked for volunteer support, donation and grant leads and said Caring Link is a registered 501(c)(3). She invited board members and community members to volunteer for weekly stocking teams and to visit the organization’s website at thecaringlink.org to donate.

The presentation preceded administrative approvals taken later in the meeting.