Chase Neyland Square
Port Allen, LA — Chase Neyland-Square, an 8th grade student at Port Allen Middle School in Louisiana, is giving back through a community-focused closet he created to provide clothes and other necessities for local children in need.
Chase thought of the idea when students were asked about ways to help others at school. Together with the school staff, Chase organized the pantry. The donations including clothes, shoes, school supplies which came from the community are then distributed discreetly to the students.
“My favorite part about helping with the pantry is getting types of clothes and sorting them out to give to various people,” Chase told Good Morning America.
Port Allen Middle School’s principal, Jessica Major, said that most students at the school come from low-income families. And because they are a relatively small school, they are really able to reach out to those in need.
“We really want the kids to feel like they have somewhere to go when they need something. We only have 215 kids so we’re able to get to know them really well… and try to help them where we can,” she said.
Chase’s parents are proud of him and said that it isn’t really the first time he gave back to his local community. He once donated 700 pairs of socks to the homeless and he would sometimes organize dinners for senior citizens.
“It makes me proud because we’re very blessed and I always encourage him to bless others,” said his mother, Amanda Square.
At such a young age, Chase has shown great passion for helping other people and he hopes to continue doing it.
“It makes me feel good because I know that I can make a difference in my school,” Chase said.