The Hidden Gem

  February 9th, 2022

The Hidden Gem

Walking down the main street of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, you come across a nearly 200-year-old church with a hidden gem in the basement. The First Presbyterian Church has a long history of helping the community and now is the site of The Union County Giving Closet. The Giving Closet is a charitable, nonprofit organization that serves families who are registered to the Union County Food Bank. It provides new or gently used clothes and shoes to children up to 18 years of age.

Alison Collins is a kind, positive person who developed The Giving Closet in April of 2022. She said with a smile, "My purpose is to provide for children and make it easier for their parents." Alison works for The Presbyterian Church and The Giving Closet. Often, her hours tend to overlap. Many days, she comes in early and stays late and comes in on the weekends to complete tasks for The Giving Closet. Her normal day consists of answering phone calls, receiving donations, and sorting them into what she can/cannot use, hanging clothes, and filling out monthly requests. Another responsibility is to go purchase items that families request and are not available. She does not operate this program alone. In the beginning, she had volunteers and family that got involved and helped out. Recently, she created a board and elected seven officers all of which volunteer their time.

The Giving Closet was started because a similar program called Clothes Share at the Union County food bank was being discontinued due to relocation. This program was an unorganized room with donated clothes. People who visited the food bank could look for clothes which may or may not have been available in the needed size. Alison was inspired to start this program after she volunteered for Dwell Orphan Care in Williamsport, Pennsylvania where foster families are served. When kids are placed in foster care, Dwell created a "hope chest" which was a bag full of clothes, toys, blankets, or anything that makes the kid feel whole. During overwhelming and stressful times for families, these prepackaged bags were appreciated. When it comes to the core of The Giving Closet, Alison says with passion and a grin, "I wanted to do something that specifically focused on children and catered to their exact needs." 

After entering through the back door of the church and down two flights of stairs, in the quiet, chilly basement are two rooms that house The Giving Closet. This program started in a singular room, but now occupies a second. Currently, the church is working on a third storage room. One closet consists of girls clothes while the other has boys. The bright pink and blue signs help organize the donations in bins and wall racks by size, gender, and type of clothing. There is an eight-foot white table in the center of the room used for sorting and folding. The donations for the closet are accepted at the church Tuesday through Friday from 9AM to 3PM. There is also a donation box located on a table outside of the main office doors. Newer or used clothes and shoes for kids 0-18 years are accepted. Alison strongly reported "there is always a need for good quality, adult clothing. Athletic wear and lounge wear appeal to a wide range of kids." Pajamas, socks and underwear must be new. Another option to donate is to become a sponsor for a Clothing Request Bag. Donations for $100 are taken via PayPal, check or online through the church giving site. The money is used to purchase items to fulfill a request. Gift cards, clothing, and money are useful donations.

This program serves families of Union County and the surrounding counties as well. Prior to COVID-19, there were more strict rules in place regarding who was served. After the pandemic, they didn't want to turn anyone away. There is a simple process for getting assistance from The Giving Closet. It begins by being enrolled in the Union County food bank. Alison is present at the food bank the first Friday of every month. Clothing request forms are available to fill out in both English and Spanish. Afterward, the form is given to Alison. Each request form asks for name, age, preferred clothing design (boys/girls/gender neutral), size, and colors. A request can also be made for specific clothing needs such as sports or concert clothes. All forms are taken to The Giving Closet and a bag is packed for each child. The bag contains a weeks' worth of clothing, a pair of shoes, new socks and underwear, and pajamas. These deliveries are also labeled with the child's name and sent back to the food bank where they are distributed to the families. New request forms are then picked up and filled out for the next month. Families can get two packages a year. One for fall/winter and the other for spring/summer. 

Alison is very passionate and invested in this program. Since the spring of 2022, 159 children have been given a clothing package. This amounts to a whopping 1,113 outfits, 795 pairs of socks and underwear, and 159 pairs of shoes and pajamas! One of the most rewarding moments for Alison is giving the bag to the children. With a heartwarming tone Alison says, "It is really sweet because they are really excited to get their clothing bag. A lot of times they will take the bag out to the car right away so they can look in and see what they have." 

The need for this program is growing fast. Its first fundraiser was held in December of 2022 at the Union Cellars Winery. Food, wine, and raffle items were donated by local businesses. This raised an impressive total of $3,500. Some future fundraisers being discussed are online selling options, a father-daughter dance, and restaurant nights. Another way of bringing money in to support the families in need within the community is becoming certified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The board, as mentioned above, is helping to write the bylaws so this can occur. This will make the Giving Closet tax exempt so if anyone makes monetary donations, they can write it off on their taxes. The board will also be able to apply for more grants which give larger amounts of money. After certification, the Giving Closet can be involved in more local opportunities such as Raise the Region.

The Union County Giving Closet is a worthwhile organization that helps families locally and from surrounding communities. Anything donated is of value and can be used. To donate, stop by the church on Market Street in Lewisburg, PA and follow the Facebook page @ucgivingcloset.