With prom season coming up, islander Mardi Ledbetter is collecting formal wear she will offer free to island teens at a pop-up shop next month.

Prom and all that goes with it can be out of reach financially for some students, and Ledbetter said she is trying to remove the cost of clothing as an obstacle. Until April 15, she will welcome donations of anything a young man or woman might want to wear to prom, from dresses and suits to shoes and jewelry.

Ledbetter has received many donations already — and is looking for others — to add to the three boxes of items she had saved for the event. The donation of clean items is appreciated, but she said she will ensure that everything is cleaned and pressed before she offers it to wear. In addition, some free alterations will be provided, and Sarah St. Germain, owner of Sarah’s Salon, is donating hair-styling sessions for participating students.

Ledbetter noted she hopes to receive a wide variety of items to best fit all people’s tastes.

“Kids come in all shapes and sizes,” she said. “We have some very alternative kids, and I would like to have a little bit of everything: modern, vintage and foofoo,” she said.

Items can be dropped off at the Eagles at any time between noon and 9 p.m. and at AJ’s Espresso during its open hours.

Students who are interested in participating can request a card for the program from the high school counselors. Ledbetter said she will also provide information to social service agencies for staff to hand out discreetly to those who might benefit.

While she intends to focus on those who would not be able to attend prom otherwise, she said she is not setting income limits — and there will be no judging.

“I want all teens to feel comfortable coming,” she said.

Her pop-up shop will be April 22 and 23 at the Eagles. She intends to set it up as a boutique, she added, with dressing rooms, mirrors and a fun atmosphere.

Ledbetter said she was inspired to do this some years ago when she was the kitchen manager for the Vashon school district. At the time, one of the guidance counselors asked the women who worked in the kitchen if they had any dresses they would be willing to donate to a student who needed something to wear.

This will be the first year for her effort, Ledbetter said, and she plans to continue it in the coming years with the hope it will grow. Whatever donations are not used this year, she will keep for next year, so she has not set a limit on what she would like to receive in the coming weeks.

“The more the better,” she said.