New Care Cart ensures students have what they need to learn

Riverside Middle High School debuted its new Care Cart on Monday, an effort by life skills paraprofessional and 21st Century mentor Eron Lampman to make education easier for kids by ensuring their basic needs are met. 

“To be completely honest, I grew up in a very poor home where we fought to make ends meet, so that is close to my heart, but I do see a lot of kiddos that need that,” Lampman said. 

The cart will reside in the nurse’s office and students will be given free access to it – no questions asked. It holds basic hygiene items like deodorant, brushes, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products as well as school supplies and snacks. The need could range from forgetting to wear deodorant that day to having to wait to buy more toothpaste until the family gets another paycheck. 

“Unfortunately, in our community that’s more common than not,” Lampman said. Basin schools have a needy population over 30%. 

The idea for the cart came from TikTok, where teachers around the country have developed Care Closets, a large-scale version of Basin’s new Care Cart. Lampman put the idea out on DonorsChoose, and her project was funded so quickly she scrambled to put the cart together as items on her list flooded in. 

“The biggest thing I’m struggling with is not the objects to put in it, but the space to put my stuff in,” Lampman laughed. 

While the DonorsChoose website funded the project’s startup, moving forward it will require donations to stay filled. Lampman has already decided she will put in her own funds when necessary, and she has had several teachers volunteer their money too. 

Someday, Lampman would like to expand the program. She will start by moving the cart for after school programs but would eventually like to have two. Especially in a stretch where federal SNAP funding has been withheld, it has also become apparent that older kids may benefit from taking home weekend food bags. 

The idea is to provide kids the resources they need to make school easier. 

“Needy kids shouldn’t have to worry about it at their age. It’s kind of just taking that burden off of them,” Lampman said. 

To help with the project, reach out to the school at (307) 568-2416.