The 7th Annual School Closet Drive for Moapa Valley area schools began on Jan. 19, hoping for bigger success than in previous years.

“We will take whatever we get, and the more the better, as the items help local students,” Mack Lyon middle school counselor and social worker Erika Whitmore said.

She said they are once again looking for donations for students who need supplies like hygiene products, socks, underwear, snacks and other essentials. Whitmore said some of the most needed items include toothpaste, toothbrushes, tampons and other hygiene products.

All donations are being collected until Feb. 19 at drop-off boxes at Grant Bowler Elementary, Ute Perkins Elementary, Mack Lyon Middle School and Moapa Valley High School.

They will also be collecting monetary donations again this year, as the funds will be used for items needed in special cases. The counselors will make the decision to spend money on specific items when the need arises.

Whitmore said people can donate money in various ways. One way is through gift cards for such merchandisers as Walmart and Amazon. The other way is through cash or check donations dropped off at the front office of schools or through Venmo. All Venmo donations can be sent to @MoapaValley EF.

She said the dispersion of the items will be handled by the counselors of each school as it is deemed needed. The following are the counselors for each school: Bowler/Perkins Elementary, Robin Lafontaine and Christie Lewis; Lyon Middle School Amy May and Whitmore; Moapa Valley High School, Janelle Ozaki and Jared Bushman.

Whitmore said she is grateful for the community helping make past closet drives a success. She said that the STUCO organization of Lyon Middle School always does an amazing job sponsoring a competition for home classrooms, where the room that donates the most wins a big prize like a pizza party and other awards.

“Our valley is amazing, and they really take care of our students,” she added. “Everyone cares and is wonderful in our valley.”

All items and financial donations will be used locally within Moapa Valley, and donations are taken at all four local schools during school hours.