The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Church calls for prom dress donations
WEST NORRITON » For all the would-be fairy godmothers out there, your generosity is needed to help send Cinderella off to the ball in style.
Prom season is just around the corner, and the church that has provided thousands of free dresses to girls for nearly a decade is once again welcoming donations of new and gently worn gowns, dresses and accessories to keep the tradition going.
After taking a year off, the event formerly known as Prom Dress Giveaway is back and going by the show-stopping name of Prom Dress Palooza.
“Last year we didn’t have the leadership to take it on, so we took a year off and regrouped. But each year before that it had grown tremendously,” said the Rev. Kelly Legg, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Norristown. “The first year we had about 300 gowns in total and went to well over a thousand the last two years we held it.” Nicholas DiFonzo of West Chester; Dr. James F. Duffy of East Norriton.
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Anticipation for the prom dress collection’s return has been robust, to say the least, Legg allowed.
“We had a great many phone calls and people stopping by to donate dresses, so that was part of the reason we said we have to do this again. We have a great partnership with Norristown High School. They just sent an email blast to all their faculty and staff letting them know about the event and requesting dresses. Many of their teachers, especially the new hires who are young and still have some dresses the high school girls may want to wear, donate them and that’s been really helpful in getting the word out.”
The church’s alliance with the high school was the reason the event started eight years ago, Legg recalled.
“Our first event in 2010 was in response to the 2009 financial crisis. We’re across the street from Norristown High School and we were trying to think of simple ways that we could better connect with our community and better serve our community,” Legg said. “Someone mentioned how expensive it is to go to prom, and we thought, ‘Well, what can we do to help the ladies and their families across the street?’ ”
Although Prom Dress Palooza began with the less privileged students in mind, “it doesn’t matter now if the girls can or can’t afford it,” Legg said. “Some people are deterred thinking there is a stigma attached, which is partly why we took giveaway out of the name. We wanted to minimize any of that stigma, especially that the teenage girls might be feeling.”
Girls come in search of the perfect dress at no charge from all over the area, Legg said.
“It’s open to all school districts and we get people who are home schooled, who are going to a formal event for their home school group, and also middle schools, high schools, charter schools, Renaissance Academy and as far as New Jersey and Delaware because they heard about us,” she explained. “They say the gas money is worth it for a gown that is going to be in great condition and free.”
Donations tend to come from a variety of places as well, Legg added.
“We get dresses from all over the area; a library over on the Main Line does a drive for us. David’s Bridal gave us around 100 of last year’s dresses — brandspanking-new. So things like that are where we get a lot of our dresses, which is a lot of fun.”
Despite snow on the ground and freezing temperatures, it’s never too early to get into prom mode, Legg pointed out.
“People are getting into spring cleaning mode, and that’s when we get our dresses. And these young ladies start shopping for dresses early, which is why we do it in March,” she said. “We try to give the dresses as early in the season as we can to have everyone be able to come here to look for their dress.”
While the rows of dresses that will be available for the fitting and the taking at the church on Friday, March 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, March 24, from noon to 4 p.m., come in all sizes, “we never have as many in plus sizes as the small sizes,” Legg noted. “We are always in need of more plus sizes and try to encourage people who can donate that we will put them to really good use. So it’s always worth coming to see because we just might have what a girl wants in any size.”
Faced with a surplus of donations, First Baptist will come to the rescue of other organizations, Legg said.
“In 2016 we gave all of our surplus to the Night to Shine event, put on by Hope Community Church in King of Prussia for individuals with special needs. Each year we try to find some place like that where they’re going to be put to use instead of just hanging in our closet.”
While some recipients may want to channel a bit of classic 1940s or ’50s Hollywood glamour, in general that metallic gem that was considered the height of fashion in 1987 may not make the cut with the class of 2018.
The era of preference is late 2000s to 2010s, as donations should be no more than 10 years old, Legg noted.
“While the retro look may be in, often it’s not,” she said. “A young teenage girl often wants the latest fad.”
Donations can be dropped off at First Baptist Church, 445 Burnside Ave, West Norriton, at any time until March 17.
“As long as they’re bagged to protect them from the weather they can be left by our front door anytime,” Legg said.
For more information contact the church at 610539-7075.