The Clothing Closet, located at the First Christian Church, 817 J St., Burwell, Nebraska, has been in existence since March of 2010 thanks to the inspiration and dedication of J.B. and Renee Sikes and the church’s congregation.  The purpose of the Clothing Closet is to provide free clothing and shoes to people of all ages and sizes who have a need for clothing and shoes for themselves or family members.  Many families from the counties surrounding Burwell use the services provided by the Clothing Closet.

The care and the upkeep of the Clothing Closet requires many hours of sorting, hanging, displaying, and organizing clothing and shoes before the public can access it.   Recently, some community members from various churches and Keep Loup Basin Beautiful have volunteered to assist in keeping the Clothing Closet organized and open to the public on the last Friday of each month from 3:00-5:30 p.m.

Currently, the Clothing Closet is in need of donated, free-standing, open-faced shelving for display of clothing and shoes.  If you would like to volunteer at the Clothing Closet by preparing clothing for display, to make a donation, or to work on the last Friday of a month, please call Kathy Mann at 308-214-0798.  Grace Family Fellowship provides workers on some months of the year, but scheduling time to work is necessary to always make sure that someone is available on the last Friday of each month.

Keep Loup Basin Beautiful has joined forces with the Clothing Closet and is using it as a recycling project.  Using clothing and shoes more than once is a means of reducing waste and recycling.  At the same time, the Clothing Closet is providing social and economic support to community members.  Please feel free to call Kathy if you have any questions about the Clothing Closet and remember that recycling clothing and shoes is just another way to keep your community clean and beautiful……and you are helping others!. Keep Loup Basin Beautiful (KLBB) is grant-funded through the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) and Keep America Beautiful; and is a project of the Loup Basin RC&D Council that promotes litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, and beautification.  KLBB serves thirteen counties in central and north-central Nebraska.  For more information about KLBB’s education programs, email KLBB at [email protected], visit www.keeploupbasinbeautiful.org, or like them on Facebook.  Contact the Loup Basin RC&D office (308)-346-3393 or stop by the office at 330 South Highway 11 in Burwell, Nebraska.