The economic downturn has been keeping one group in Hockessin very busy: the volunteers at the Hockessin United Methodist Church Clothes Closet.
Working out of the church’s white chapel on Old Lancaster Pike, the group opens its doors three times a month and lets poor families collect a bagful of clothes, shoes and other necessities.
They distribute about 2,000 articles of clothing a month, all completely free of charge, and collect about the same amount in donations from parishioners and community members, said Kay Vollmar, who runs the operation.
About 130 people visit the closet each month, browsing the rooms of neatly organized clothing for women, men, teens and kids, she explained.
| To donate, place gently used items in the large, blue bin inside the glass doors of the Hockessin United Methodist Church Early Learning Center. |
The closet serves people from Hockessin, Kennett Square, Pa., Wilmington and even as far away as Dover, Vollmar said, and the only rule is visitors must have an income of less than $25,000. Most only have incomes of $15,000 to $17,000, she said.
Because of their parents’ slim budgets, children benefit the most, she said. Many only have two or three outfits to wear to school before they visit the closet, she said.
Volunteers also serve breakfast on weekends when they are open, Vollmar said, because many of the kids who visit typically only get breakfast at school.
Vollmar and the other 25 volunteers feel good helping out, she said, but it’s far from just a feel-good project.
“We can do something to help people have a step up in life,” she said. “We’ve been blessed, so this is a way we can share.”
