Online clothing store raises money for schools

How does a gently used shirt turn into a field trip or an outgrown pair of shoes become part of the physical education program? Through Schoola.com.

Schoola is an online clothing store that sells gently used kid’s and women’s clothing to buyers across the country. Forty percent of every purchase, or $2 out of every $5, goes back to the school or education organization where it was donated.

A school can organize a clothing drive or an individual can request a postage-paid donation bag, fill it, and the postal service will pick it up free of charge. Shoppers can also search for a specific school and buy clothing from those donors to help raise funds. Donated items are sorted, photographed and posted online for shoppers to browse around the country.

The Schoola Web site allows schools and individual donors to view where the clothing items were purchased and how much was raised. A purchase in Owensboro, Ky., earned Alexander Middle School in Huntersville $1.12, and another buy in Binghamton, NY added $.78. Little by little it adds up; the middle school has raised over $150 through Schoola.

Community School of Davidson, in Davidson, has earned over $3,000 selling used clothing items through the site. Schools are sent checks quarterly and may spend the money however they wish.

Stacey Boyd, a parent and former teacher and principal, founded the company in 2012 in San Francisco, Ca., with only a few partner schools. Today Schoola has over 10,000 participating schools across the county with hopes of expanding. To set up a clothing drive or learn more about Schoola, visit www.schoola.com.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Online clothing store raises money for schools."