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Date: 12/8/2021
HUNTINGTON – If you would like to do something to help a local agency that has helped many people this year, then consider giving a gift of a few hours to The Village Closet to help sort the donations of clothing and toys that are coming in every day. Better yet, bring a friend or two with you to help.
The Village Closet donation center, in the former St. Thomas church in Huntington, is managed by It Takes a Village, a nonprofit now based in Huntington that serves 1,600 families a year with baby and children’s clothing, diapers and essential supplies. So far in 2021, it has distributed over $250,000 worth of donated goods, which are free to everyone, regardless of income level or town of residence.
Donors all over the state have been generous in contributing items. In fact, there have been more donations than there are people to sort them, and It Takes a Village recently put out a call for volunteers to make sure the donated items can make their way into the Village Closet before the center closes from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2.
“Everyone is really amazing,” said bookkeeper Rachael Laurie on a recent visit to the Village Closet, about the volunteers who give of their time to go through the clothes, pulling out ones that have stains or rips to be sent to a company for recycling, and then sorting the rest by size. She said it seems there is a never-ending supply of donations.
Laurie encouraged people to volunteer as a family or as a group of friends, or to come in a few hours once a week, or once a month on a recurring basis.
“Anybody who helps sort gets first dibs,” she added.
Currently, the Village Closet is looking for volunteers for Sundays and Mondays, Dec. 12, 13, 19 and 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Tuesday evenings, Dec. 14 and 21, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Available time slots are posted at www.hilltownvillage.org, where people may also sign up to volunteer for a slot.
“Recently there have been so many donations that the staff cannot process them fast enough to get them into the hands of families coming in to shop, meaning that sometimes families can’t find what they need. It’s hard knowing that the item they need is probably down in the basement right now, but we just haven’t gotten to it yet,” said Mollie Hartford, development and outreach director at It Takes a Village. She said volunteer groups are also welcome to contact It Takes a Village to set up other times to come down.
Hartford said volunteers can also gather items together that will be delivered to families who lack transportation.
“It’s like being a personal shopper. It’s really fun to pick out clothing, toys, and books for a new family,” she said.
People donating items can also help speed up the process by sorting items by size, gender, style and season before donating, and by making sure that all items are in giftable condition with no stains or rips, and nothing recalled or broken.
“We believe that every baby deserves nice things,” said Hartford.
To learn more about the Village Closet and It Takes a Village’s other support programs, visit www.hilltownvillage.org or call 650-3640. It Takes a Village also accepts monetary donations to help keep its services free to everyone.
The Village Closet, at 2 E. Main St., Huntington, is open to the public for “shopping” and donations on Sundays and Mondays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Tuesdays, 5-7 p.m. All visitors over 2 years old must wear a face mask and practice social distancing. Those who cannot visit during normal open times can email closet@hilltownvillage.org to make an appointment for a different time.