WHERE WE COME FROM
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Many years ago a group of women at Abundant Life Community Church started a clothing swap closet in the basement at the church. After running out of room and seeing a greater need for the community, the "Orting Community Clothing Closet" was started!
The Clothing Closet operated out of a portable on the Orting High School property for several years, and helped countless neighbors find affordable clothing with their Dollar-a-Bag offer. Volunteers sorted through hundreds of bags of donations every week to keep the Clothing Closet well-stocked. In 2017, the Orting High School needed to reclaim use of their portables, and with nowhere else to go, the Clothing Closet had to close it's doors... but that was only the end of a chapter- the story had only just begun! |
HOW WE STARTED
Volunteers at the Community Clothing Closet dreamed of a greater outreach, and following it's closure, the dreams grew. After five years of planning, praying and preparing, one of those volunteers (our current Executive Director, Meg Ward) started the process to create a new non-profit. It took a year of fundraising, waiting and submitting new documents before The Closet was officially born in 2023! A Board of Directors was established, made up of local community members including Elisabeth Carlson, who ran the Orting Community Clothing Closet for several years, along with Britta Allerton and Ashley Orf who shared the vision of creating an organization with the focused mission to support our neighbors by providing one of our most basic needs- clothing. To get started on this mission, fundraising began, and through generous contributions (including a pick-up truck!), we were able to purchase a Cargo Trailer to help with gathering and transporting donations, racks and supplies. The first Clothing Drive was organized in early 2024, followed by the first Pop-Up event in March! Hundreds of neighbors showed up to shop; it was INCREDIBLE to see the support of our community, and to have such a successful opportunity to help our neighbors. Monthly Pop-Ups continued through the Spring and Summer. |
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WHERE WE ARE NOW
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In September of 2024, The Closet was given an incredible opportunity- to take over a retail space in the middle of our beloved little town.
We were so overwhelmed with joy, excitement and awe of this miracle the Lord brought us! We couldn't say no! With financial backing from Abundant Life Community Church, in a few short weeks volunteers worked tirelessly to make the shop feel a little more like our new home, and stock it full of treasures for our new shoppers. On October 11th, 2024, we successfully held our Grand Opening event! We are so thankful for the answered prayers, financial supporters, volunteers, shoppers and neighbors that have made The Closet such a tremendous success! We can't wait to see what happens next! |
**1-Year reports coming soon! Check back to see our progress, and how many individuals and families we have supported in our first year!**