Hope’s Closet event
Hope’s Closet has announced it will be hosting an open house and ribbon cutting event from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at its new facility at 9850 Princeton Glendale Road, Suite C. The event will include periodic tours of its boutique and warehouse, informational sessions about its mission and services offered, as well as a formal ribbon cutting planned for 11 a.m. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be conducted by the West Chester & Liberty Chamber of Commerce.
Hope’s Closet moved from its original location on Dayton Street in Hamilton to its current location in West Chester in November 2020. Since then, it has served nearly 3,500 displaced children and their foster families through its recruitment and support programs, and its gently used clothing boutique. Most of the items supplied to foster families through its boutique have been donated by individuals and organizations in the community.
“Our Hamilton facility was approximately 3,500 square feet and was upstairs in a historic building. That really limited the number of donations that we could accept,” said Jami Clarke, Executive Director of Hope’s Closet. “Our new facility is almost three times the size of our old one and includes a loading dock. That allows us to move more inventory through and ultimately serve a larger population of children in care.”
Hope’s Closet runs with the help of a small, mostly part-time staff and a growing cadre of regular volunteers.
“We are always looking for volunteers to help us,” said Jami. “That’s one of the reasons why we really wanted to get the word out that we’re here and open for business. The more support that we get from individuals and organizations in the community, the more foster families that we can ultimately serve.”
The Open House and Ribbon Cutting event is open to the public. Hope’s Closet is a small, 501(C) (3) nonprofit organization that supports displaced children and their families by recruiting and supporting foster families. Their hope is to enrich and improve the lives of children and families impacted by children’s services through programs such as Mom’s Night Out, whole family activities, support and mentoring and through its gently used clothing boutique.
For more information, visit www.hopes-closet.net. CONTRIBUTED