Methodist charge offers free clothes for those in need By MAEGAN CLEARWOOD Student intern | Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 7:31 pm ROCK HALL The first floor of the former Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home looks like a chic, highend boutique. Room after room is filled with shirts, pants, dresses and shoes, carefully organized by size and style. Visitors can find anything from infant clothes to winter coats, but there's one thing they won't see on the racks: price tags. On the third Saturday of every month, the Clothing Closet opens its doors to the public. The United Methodist Charge's giveaway serves more than 200 people on its open afternoons, inviting them to browse the wide selection of gently used clothing and household goods and take whatever they need. "We saw a need, and we were pleasantly surprised when we opened the doors," said volunteer Vivian Nordhoff as she hauled yet another box of donations inside the building last week. "It's a beautiful effort." Nordhoff and the other volunteers were inspired to start the giveaway more than a year ago after attending a conference. There, they learned about creative ways to give back to the community.
Clothing Closet United Methodist Charge volunteers (from left to right) Debbie Christian, Vivian Nordhoff, Ellylea Casttellaonos and Brenda Capel sort through a pile of donated clothes. The Clothing Closet giveaway serves more than 200 people a month.
"We kept praying and praying for somewhere we could have it," Nordhoff said. The group's prayers were answered in June 2011 when the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home on state Route 20 was put on the market. Funeral Director Kirk Helfenbein quickly agreed to let the Charge use the building – at no cost – until it is sold. "I said I would be glad to offer it, especially in these economic times when there's a lot of need for it right now," he said Tuesday morning. Aside from a small hiccup in October, when the building was temporarily reopened as a funeral home while the Chestertown building was undergoing repairs, the Clothing Closet has been a success. "This is really going above and beyond what we expected," Nordhoff said. Community response has been overwhelming. Nordhoff said much of the closet's stock comes from individuals and families sorting out old clothes. Some of the most generous donations are from stores going out of business, such as the River Rock Pro Shop, which donated racks and brand name clothes to the charity when it closed its doors. The second floor of the building is practically overflowing with surplus clothes, and there is no shortage of recipients on the other end. The Charge is well aware of the need in the community from its other charity work. Although visitors aren't required or encouraged to give back, the Charge takes in about $100 a month in donations, all of which goes toward its Backpack Ministry. Each week last year, the Charge donated about 40 backpacks stuffed with nonperishable, healthy food items for children who receive free or reduced meals at Rock Hall Elementary School. While Nordhoff sees the Backpack Ministry as a testament to the amount of need in the area, she said she was surprised by the giveaway's turnout. "It's just unreal, and everybody's so appreciative of it," she said. "We have every inch of this house packed," said volunteer Debbie Christian, whose, husband the Rev. Drew Christian, is the pastor for the Rock Hall United Methodist Charge. Sifting through the mountains of donations is no small task. Nordhoff said about 10 volunteers meet at the house each Wednesday for two hours. They haul bags and boxes from the storage rooms upstairs, dump them out onto a table, and start sorting by age, size and style. Nordhoff said organizing donations smoothly took some practice. Their first weekend open, she said "we didn't know what we were doing. There was stuff everywhere." Now, there are rooms with clothes for infants, girls, boys, teens, women and men. Everything is neatly folded and sized. The clothes may be secondhand, but Christian said the volunteers are "very picky" about what they accept. Anything too worn or dirty is donated to a recycling center for throwaway clothes, where the fabric will be reused. "If we wouldn't wear it, we wouldn't put it out," Nordhoff said. Helfenbein, who visited the closet last month, said he was "amazed" by the high quality and variety of clothes available. "It was like a department store," he said. Nordhoff said many patrons are grandparents or single parents who are raising children on a limited income, but people from all walks
of life frequent the giveaway. It isn't limited to Rock Hall residents, either. "The economy's affecting everybody. It's a need everywhere," she said. "We're not turning anybody away." The Clothing Closet is open on the third Saturday of every month, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., or by appointment, at 6179 Rock Hall Road. Clean, gently used clothing donations may be dropped off at the Rock Hall United Methodist Charge building on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There is a particular need for young boys' clothes. For more information, call 4106397663.