More Hope at Hopes Closet, Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz

COMMUNITY NEWS More Hope at Hopes Closet

Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz

For Jelli Beanz, a children’s resale shop popular for 14 years with parents in the know, the pandemic was devastating.

Founder Stephanie Hendersen didn’t have enough sales to survive. That would have meant shutting down Hopes Closet, her nonprofit: Providing at no charge bundles of clothing, books and toys to 300 children a month.

Hendersen, who lives in Aptos, found a way to keep that operation going and give parents a place to shop for affordable clothes, books toys for their children.

Her solution: Close the no-longer-profitable JelliBeanz and reopen as the nonprofit Hopes Closet.

At the storefront, 2555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, across from the flea market site, customers will see a bright and freshly painted shop, with racks organized by size, gently used, everything washed and clean, some with tags still on.

Kids tops and shorts are priced at $4 each. Shoes that would sell for $15-$30 in a department store are $8.

Hendersen said the prices are lower than when she was trying to make a profit and she thanked her landlord for giving her a break on rent for the first year.

Parents can keep a watchful eye on their kids playing in an enclosed area, and there’s a display of 25-cent toys where kids might make their own selection.

“My daughter grew up here,” said Donna Odryna, board president for Hopes Closet, who help Hendersen incorporate the nonprofit part of her venture 10 years ago.

Behind the scenes, volunteers make magic happen.

Bags and bags of clothing are donated at the rollup door. The pantry-size room fills up fast.

Volunteers wearing Hopes Closet aprons sort through everything, to see what is suitable for children in need and what could be sold in shop to buy items that haven’t been donated — like boys jeans size 14-16. There’s never enough of those.

Once everything is sorted, it is organized into bins for boys and girls and by size. Books and toys are organized by age as well so to make it easier for volunteers to assemble their “bundles of joy.”

The bundle, which includes fresh changes of clothing for a week plus books and toys, is a blessing for foster families who welcome children into their home at short notice. And any other family with children in need.

Volunteers work hard to match up what’s in the bundle with the child, so a notation indicating “likes Minnie Mouse” will prompt a search.

One little girl “was all excited” to see Minnie Mouse in her bundle, said volunteer Ruth Cuzick.

“Hopes Closet” page 21