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Date: 9/9/2021
HUNTINGTON – The Village Closet is hosting its third free sidewalk sale on Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Called the “Mommy and Me Closet Cleanout,” the free “sale” will focus on maternity clothes, women’s clothing and newborn sizes.
“Everything is free. There are no residency or income requirements. Everybody is welcome to come for those items or shop in the closet for everything else that we have,” said Mollie Hartford, development and outreach director for It Takes a Village, the organization that runs The Village Closet at 2 E. Main St.
Hartford said if the weather is nice, the sale will take place outside on the sidewalk. If it’s raining, it will take place inside. She said the sidewalk sales, or closet cleanouts, started in July, when they found themselves with an abundance of “big kids” clothing – sizes 5, 6, 7, 8 – and women’s clothing, and decided to make a special day to promote those items.
“It was very successful, and we decided to do it every month,” she said.
In August, they hosted a “back to school” closet cleanout, and gave away 120 backpacks, along with school supplies and clothes. The next sidewalk sale, planned for Oct. 3, will be Halloween costumes and coats, followed by holiday clothing on Dec. 5.
The Village Closet’s regular hours are Sunday and Monday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
“We’re still working on what the fall is going to look like,” Hartford said.
Currently, they run an outdoor parents’ group in Ashfield and were tossing around having a group at the Village Closet in Huntington until the rise of the delta variant of COVID-19.
“We’re pausing on that,” she said.
Hartford said It Takes a Village is hosting an online chat, “The Post-Bedtime Parents Group,” on Thursday nights 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. The group is geared to parents of young children, but parents of older kids, grandparents taking care of their grandkids, or anybody who needs support and wants another “real” person to chat with, may also drop in.
She said there will also be a special online group on Sept. 14, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., on navigating back-to-school changes. One of the group facilitators from It Takes a Village will lead the online chat for families heading back to school and all the feelings that come with that.
It Takes a Village provides free postpartum and early parenting support to families with babies and young children living in Western Massachusetts. For more information on their programs, visit www.hilltownvillage.org, email info@hilltownvillage.org or call 650-3640. All programs are 100 percent free, regardless of income or circumstances. Sponsors, grantors and individual donations are welcome.