The Clothing Closet located at the First Christian Church at 817 J. Street, Burwell, NE continued to serve over 800 shoppers during 2018. Thanks to the work of 89 volunteers who donated more than 200 hours of volunteer time, the Clothing Closet served over 800 shoppers from 17 counties and two states in 2018. Individuals generously donated approximately 12,000 pounds of clothing and shoes. Volunteers work diligently to sort, fold, and display shoes and clothing for the convenience of shoppers. Shoppers took home over 8,000 pounds of clothing to be used by themselves and family members.
To complete the mission of the Clothing Closet, Dave and Jen Busch remove the clothing from the church that is packed in black garbage bags by volunteers, load their trailer with the bags of clothes, and then deliver the clothes to the Lincoln People’s Mission in Lincoln. The clothes may then travel to Texas, Florida, and Canada where it is then transported to other countries for distribution to other people. Their volunteer work is part of serving in the Toss Box ministries. You will find a Toss Box located across the street from the Pizza Palace in Burwell and throughout communities in Nebraska and especially in Lincoln. You may find more information about the Toss Box at https://pcmlincoln.org/donate/
Shoes that are not used go to various missions such as One Day without Shoes, or Soles for Souls or other mission projects involving shoes. The Clothing Closet could not operate without the volunteer services of many people. Numerous individuals, churches, and service groups come together to make the Clothing Closet a valuable service to many people in Garfield county and surrounding counties.
Additionally, the Knights of Columbus have donated funds to the Clothing Closet to help young parents in meeting the needs of purchasing items for the care of babies, infants, and small children.
If you would like more information about any of the services of the Clothing Closet or would like to volunteer, please call Kathy at 308-214-0798 or Sonja at 308-750-7085.
Thank you to everyone who has helped in any way to make the Clothing Closet a valuable service to central Nebraska.