PROVIDING THROUGH A CLOTHING BANK CALLED CLOTHING EMPORIUM – Voice Of The Township

Last month I wrote about the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter that we and other Township Trustees are here to help with. In that column I described how we help hungry folks in need of food. This week I want to talk about our Wayne Township Trustee Office Clothing Emporium.

The Clothing Emporium was started when we saw that clients we were sending out to look for work often did not have the right clothes that they needed to succeed in their search. And many times their children were doing without coats and other clothing in which to go to school. “We saw a need,” says Patsy Brewer, executive secretary who spearheaded the Emporium, “We had a food bank, so why not a clothing bank?” So from a few items on a give-away table the Emporium was born, and over the last four years it has supplied over 4,000 people with needed garments.

Every Wednesday morning we hold a class here at WTTO to help our Township Assistance clients with, among other things, job hunting skills. We talk about searching, applying, and interviewing for jobs. During the class breaks, the Clothing Emporium, located across the hall from the classroom, is open for the attendees to shop. For one such class meeting Patsy decided to hold a Spring Fling fashion show to showcase some of the shop’s items. She chose six volunteers out of the class and helped each one put together an outfit, complete with matching accessories, jewelry and shoes all from the Emporium. With music in the background an announcer described each ensemble as the models strode across ‘the stage’ in front of the class. It was beautiful to see how transformed they looked as each model walked proudly with his or her new, professional look. (At the end, the models got to keep their outfits.)

While we focus on “dressing for success,” the Emporium accepts and carries all types of clothing. There are suits for a job interview (to get one of those the client needs to show proof they are scheduled for an interview.); uniform slacks, tops, and shoes; casual items like sweatshirts and jeans; school uniforms, and baby clothes. There are coats, hats, and gloves. The store even has household items like bedding, towels and kitchenware.

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The Clothing Emporium is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 11:30. Patsy is there to show folks through the store and to help them find the right clothes for them. “I can size them up just by looking,” she says “Sometimes they say they wear one size, but I’ll see they need another, often smaller, size than they think, and I’m usually right.”

Keeping a wide variety of sizes in stock for shoppers is one of the challenges of running the Clothing Emporium, but somehow we always manage. The store carries all sizes, from Infant to XXXL. “I’d say we’re able to satisfy the needs of 99 percent of the folks who come to the store,” said Patsy, “and we have all of our generous donors to thank for that.”

The Emporium started in 2011 when two of our staff members brought in clothes from their own household to be given away to our clients in need. “From one table’s worth the Clothing Emporium grew to three rooms full,” said Patsy. In 2014 we helped 1,233 people, up from a starting number of 519 in 2011. Donations to the store come from many sources such as staff members and other members of the public. Last year board member Tony Henry donated over 40 brand new men’s winter coats along with warm hats and gloves. Some donate clothing and other items while others prefer to contribute cash, and that is always a big help. “I like for some things to be new when I give them out, like underwear for example, so I use the cash to shop for that,” said Patsy. Last November another one of my staff members contacted Meijer Supermarket who gave us a large supply of new winter gloves, hats and scarves.

Patsy regularly goes to Huntertown United Methodist Church’s Career Closet. They donate to us, letting Patsy ‘shop’ their store for hundreds of free items for the Emporium. We also plan to be working with the new Wellspring Shoppe, another clothing bank that recently opened on Broadway.

So if you’re in need come to our office and see for yourself the Wayne Township Trustee Office Clothing Emporium.