We’ve been talking about the First Teen Clothes Closet regularly for the last few months, but maybe you aren’t up to date on all the details.

Did you know ….

Donations are tax-deductible? They are! There are receipts located behind the shopping cart for donations in the entryway. You can estimate the value of your donation and use the receipt for your tax preparation next year.

We’d like to open the Clothes Closet every Saturday to serve more teens? Currently, the closet hosts guests by appointment only because we don’t have enough volunteers to guarantee we will be open for regular hours every Saturday, but with a few more willing hearts and hands, we can provide easy to remember weekly hours for the teens in our community. We are also working to find a way to take clothes to the teens who need them at the Boys and Girls Club locations in La Crosse and West Salem, since traveling to Onalaska may not be feasible for everyone who needs assistance.

The First Teen Clothes Closet gave away more than 700 items of clothing in 2015? The items included 150 pairs of pants or jeans, more than 300 shirts, sweatshirts and sweaters, 86 pairs of shoes and boots, plus shorts, socks, jackets and coats. This number doesn’t include undergarments, scarves, hats, accessories or toiletry items.

More than 50 young people from the church have volunteered to help? They have spent time as individual volunteers, confirmation small groups, youth group gatherings or Sunday school classes sorting and organizing donations. By having youth help organize clothes, they can ensure that the styles are “teen approved” and things young people will feel good wearing.

Youth from other churches have toured the Clothes Closet? A local confirmation group recently toured the closet as a way of learning that mission work isn’t only needed in far-away places. According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, there were about 250 students in La Crosse County last school year who identified as having unstable housing. Many, many more families might have housing but are struggling with unexpected expenses, job loss or other difficulties.

Not all of our clients are from La Crosse County? We have also been able to serve teens from as far away as Winona, Taylor, Independence, Trempealeau, Galesville and Sparta.

The church has owned the house since 2011? In addition to being a location for the First Teen Clothes Closet, this property provides a comfortable location for small group gatherings and the church’s growing garden. Sometimes, clothes closet clients take home a bag of green beans in addition to their blue jeans.

Want to know more? Contact the church office or a Clothes Closet team member.

First Teen Clothes Closet team,

Lori Lunney
Shari Hegland
Bridget Crave
Sara Larkin
Tina NelsonS