Northborough Youth Commission Approves School Spirit Wear Clothing Drive for Students

NORTHBOROUGH — January 6, 2026 — Northborough Youth Commission launches school spirit wear drive and reviews youth services. The commission, chaired by Judy Boyle, reached consensus at its January 6 meeting to collect gently used school-branded clothing from collection bins at Northborough public schools and redistribute items through school nurses' offices, with no means-testing required. Commission members divided pickup responsibilities across Lincoln Street, Malikin, Zeh, Proctor, and Algonquin Regional High School, with Mary Ellen, the district's homeless liaison, tasked with contacting principals and the superintendent for building approval. The commission also heard from Ash Wheeler, a youth wellness coach funded through a Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University SBIRT grant, who described running required screenings and one-on-one resiliency sessions with 10th through 12th graders. Isabella Caruso, town HHS staff, reported that the department served 73 Northborough residents in 2025 and that the food pantry served 262 households — 677 people — over three weeks in November alone. Caruso confirmed that no Northborough students are currently known to be living unsheltered, though some qualify as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act, and noted that a Northborough shelter closed in December with most families having secured housing before the closure.