Clay County Clothes Closet

By providing sustainable clothing that fits program participant's personal style and need for school, work and community activities, Clay County Clothes Closet's program empowers individuals with an improved self-image to help position them to success in school and in the workforce. Additionally, by meeting the clothing needs of every family member, the program assists in freeing up limited financial resources for other basic human needs such as food and housing.

Clothing Families - Empowering Lives program is expected to serve 2,900 impoverished individuals referred for assistance in 2020. With participant's need predetermined by partner referring agencies, CCCC Volunteer Staff will continue to focus on providing participants with a caring and dignified shopping experience. Assisted through personal consultations, participants will select a complete wardrobe of clothing, meeting their personal need and style for school, work and community activities, sustaining them for a 1-week period and helping to position them for success in school and work. All participants will receive new undergarments and socks. Additionally, children will select new jeans, shirts, coat and shoes. All participants will receive gently used clothing items donated by the community to complete their wardrobe which includes clothing selections for every season of the year. Employed teens and adults will receive a voucher for the purchase of new workplace required footwear to assist them in maintaining employment and meeting their employer's safety/uniform requirements. By providing clothing for all family members, limited financial resources will be available for other basic human needs such as food and housing.

Serving continuously for (61) years, Clay County Clothes Closet has a proven record of meeting the stated outcomes. Funding initiatives to support the program include foundation grant submissions, fundraising initiatives, partnerships with businesses, civic organizations and churches and individual donations.

The organization owns the building where the clothing resource program is facilitated. The program is operated and managed for a staff of (50) volunteers and their is no paid staff. 100% of the funding received is used to support the program.

In 2019, the following objectives were achieved:

2,721 individuals received a sustainable wardrobe of clothing
1,363 at-risk children had their ill-fitting worn-out clothing replaced
(884) families - Every family member received sustainable clothing freeing up limited financial resources for food and housing.
(33,379) new clothing items were selected by participants
(81,205) gently-used clothing items were selected by participants
(50) volunteers donated 10,059 hours to facilitate the clothing resource program.