Meet the Heart Behind the Mission

Kids Closet Project didn’t come from a business plan or a brainstorming session—it came from real life.

“I was one of those kids,” says founder Shay Slaughter. “The ones who wore the same dirty clothes for too many days in a row. The ones who didn’t have a clean pair of socks, or a brush, or sometimes even underwear that fit. I remember the embarassment. I remember trying to pretend it didn’t bother me when it really, really did.”

What she also remembers? The teachers who noticed. The ones who kept snacks in their desks, who found a hoodie for her to wear, who quietly did what they could without ever making it a big deal.

“That kind of kindness sticks with you. I never forgot it.”

Years later, as a mom and community advocate, Shay saw it happening all over again—kids still going without, and teachers still doing everything they could to help with their own limited resources.

“So I thought… what if I made that easier? What if I filled the gap so teachers didn’t have to scramble, and kids didn’t have to feel that kind of embarrassment in the first place?”

That’s exactly why Kids Closet Project was created. To give teachers quick access to clothing and hygiene items for the kids who need them most—without shame, without red tape, and without delay.

“This isn’t just a nonprofit,” Shay says. “It’s the thing I wish had existed when I was that little girl.”