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Date: 4/13/2018
AGAWAM – Cooper’s Gifts Apparel Home is accepting donations of professional attire for Dress for Success (DFS) of Western Massachusetts.
Until April 30, the locally owned gift shop will be collecting interview-appropriate women’s clothing, shoes and accessories for DFS, an international non-profit that aims to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools. In exchange for a donation, Cooper’s will offer a 20 percent off “Thank You” coupon to put toward an entire purchase of clothing, accessories and jewelry. The coupons have no expiration.
“For the last couple of years we’ve chosen Dress for Success for our April charity because it coincides nicely with people cleaning out their closets in the springtime,” said Owner of Cooper’s Gifts Apparel Home Kate Gourde. “We have always loved Dress for Success because it’s a women-oriented non-profit, and that’s essentially our customer base – women. All of our customers love to get behind something that empowers other women.”
Donations for the drive must be delivered on hangers and presented in good condition. All professional attire is welcome, explained Gourde, but DFS is in urgent need of plus-sized items, spring coats and jewelry.
Casual clothing will not be accepted.
“We basically tell customers to ask themselves, ‘would I wear this on a job interview?’ And if the answer is, ‘yes,’ then absolutely bring it in,” said Gourde. “They [DFS] are always amazed at the quantity, as well as the quality, from our customers."
Cooper’s has been holding clothing drives for DFS for years due to the convenience of its location, said Gourde. She explained that most of her customers – especially on the West side of the river – find it easier to bring donations to her store rather than the DFS Boutique on Boston Road.
The drive coincides as Cooper’s April Round Up charity, which is the store’s way of “giving back.” Each month, the shop chooses a local charity to receive the proceeds of the Round Up program, through which customers are invited to round up their purchase total to the next dollar amount. Gourde will then match 50 percent of the total collected.
“Besides having the store, my husband and I also have four kids so my life is crazy busy, and it really bothered me that I didn’t have time to do the charity and volunteer work I wanted to do,” said the store owner. “So, I tried to find ways that I could do that through the store and do it in a way with my customer’s help – that’s how the whole Round Up program came to be.”
The program has donated over $11,000 to local organizations since its inception in 2014.
Cooper’s is located at 161 Main St. in Agawam. Donations may be brought in at anytime. The store is open Daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5p.m. and Sundays 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The store is also seeking nominations for other local charities to consider in the coming months. More information on the Round Up program, and how to nominate a charity, may be found on Cooper’s website at www.coopersgifts.com/round-up/.