Macaroni Kid Kitsap's Non-Profit Organization of the Month:
New Beginnings Closet
New Beginnings Closet started about six years ago as a small donation closet for foster families who met at the New Beginnings Church in Bremerton on the third Wednesday of the month for training. Over the course of the year, donations became so generous. Everybody wanted to donate clothing, toys, all kinds of items so we opened it up to the community. As clothing donations increased the closet expanded to almost 1,000 square feet. When the church decided to sell its building we thought we would need to close the closet, then one of our shoppers sent me a picture of a storefront that was for rent. The price was something we could afford so we moved the closet into a retail space.
This worked out very well for three years, however, when Covid hit we knew we wanted to make the closet sustainable and accessible so we moved it to our home shop on 13th Street in West Bremerton. Thank goodness all of our wonderful volunteers moved with us!
New Beginnings closet is a 501c3 non-profit run entirely by volunteers, and funded by cash donations. We accept donations Monday through Friday, day or night, of all usable clothing, shoes, toys, bedding, baby furniture and accessories. Donations can be dropped off at 2027 13th Street in Bremerton. We do not accept donations on Saturday and Sunday. The closet is open Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Friday from 2 to 6pm, and Sunday from 2 to 4pm. We love volunteers and you can come during any of those times and train to be one of us. We have additional days that we sort clothing and we also have opportunities for groups that want to come on days we are closed and work together.
 |
On Tuesdays we partner with Kitsap Immigration Assistance Center (KIAC) so that we can connect with our Hispanic community. We also have an additional closet at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) office in Bremerton. We stock grab and go clothing bags and pajama bags along with many other hygiene products and new items for children who are coming into foster care. We utilize additional volunteers for this work.
One of the biggest needs we have at New Beginnings closet is for volunteers to help sort, hang, and put away clothing. We also need to have at least one Spanish speaking volunteer every day that we're open. Cash donations are always helpful. Even though it's here in our shop, we have utility bills to pay. We rent a shipping container, and we pay additional insurance. We also pick up large loads of donations in our van. Clients who come to the closet are encouraged to bring one or two dollars when they shop so that they can help sustain the closet. Shoppers can visit the shop twice a month, but if they need anything they can always contact us via Facebook and we will do our best to get it to them. We don't require proof of income or ID or any of those things. This is a community closet supported by the community. We facilitate getting items from the donors hands into the hands of people who can use it.
We never thought that the little closet we started so long ago which made such an impact in the community. We have been blessed to be a part of it for sure. We serve more than 200 families every single month, and those families are able to use resources they would normally use on clothing for other expenses in their household.
You can learn more about the New Beginnings Closet on their Facebook page, or by calling 360-265-3398.
Learn more about how to submit your local non-profit as a |
