STOCKTON, Calif. — Mariah Lopez,16, knows what it is like to be homeless. Two years ago, her parents divorced, leaving her mother and two siblings on the streets of Stockton.
"Just tried to make the best of it," said the soft spoken and shy Lopez. "I don't think I really let it affect my school."
The family of four eventually got back on their feet after her mother, Jeannie Yang, found a job. But it wasn't easy.
"I never wanted them to feel the stress that I was feeling," Yang said. "I tried to keep things normal for them. Sports, they were still doing sports. Still going to school consistently. Still involved in activities that they normally was involved in."
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When Lopez learned there were other homeless kids at her school, Chavez High School, she wanted to help.
"She came home one day and she said, 'Mom, there's 56 homeless children at my school and I want to collect hygiene items for my school," Yang said. "So, I asked her, basically, what does these hygiene items consist of?"
With the help of a Facebook post from her mother, Mariah's Closet was born — after a flood of donations arrived, including toothbrushes and soap. Yang says within two days, they collected over 500 items. Once word spread of Mariah's Closet, more items were donated.
Lopez and her family also reached out to the non-profit, Stockton 209 Cares, which also provides hygiene products and more to homeless and struggling families.
"When we first started, it was small numbers. Then, we started digging. And, that's not even all the school districts here," said Nancy Lamb, President of Stockton 209 Cares, who says there are roughly 1,600 homeless students in the Stockton Unified School District.
Two months into her endeavor, Lopez has donated many of her hygiene products to students at Stagg High School. Her school has its own giveaway pantry, called Titans Comfort Closet.
"I hope these kids that are getting all these hygiene [products], they'll feel like, maybe, less insecure about certain things," Lopez said.
If you would like to donate, visit Stockton 209 Cares. Continue the conversation with Kurt on Facebook.