“Introducing…315 Threadz!”

January 13, 2017

Out with the old, in with the new! This fall, Broad Street Ministry’s Clothing Closet underwent a highly anticipated and long overdue extreme makeover. The Clothing Closet was a weekly lottery-based service that allowed 125 lucky guests to enjoy a personal shopping experience—they had the opportunity to select two articles of clothing and one bonus accessory during Breaking Bread.

Although this seemed to work well enough for a while, over time we began to notice several pitfalls to this system. Unfortunately, the old lottery system did not meet all of our standards for a trauma-informed approach to services. Having a lottery sometimes triggered anxiety for many guests during Breaking Bread, and there was no way to ensure that everyone had an equal chance of “winning” the clothes they desperately needed.

After weeks of nipping, tucking, and stitching, (and restocking), the dedicated staff of 315 South Broad Street revealed the new and improved Clothing Closet, officially known as 315 Threadz, to friends of the community on December 5th. We believe 315 Threadz is a better solution to the previously mentioned downfalls, and we are continually striving to meet the organization’s mission of serving and having enough for each and every guest.

Now that the lottery system has been retired, guests are able to receive clothing by simply requesting an appointment with any staff member. With this new format, equality increases and apprehension decreases. Any guest can browse through 315 Theradz’s closet once a month on either Mondays or Thursdays during one of two assigned hour-long time blocks, which alleviates any stress that accompanies keeping a very specific and/or restraining appointment time. On top of that, 315 Threadz is ONLY open when Breaking Bread is NOT. This means that guests can relax and actually enjoy their meals in the sanctuary or lounge and congregate in the multi-purpose room before checking-in for their appointments. Finally, 315 Threadz likes to ensure that guests will be confident and (dignified), which is why its system allows guests to choose three clothing items to make a complete outfit.

Threadz volunteers and staff serve 70 different guests each week and anticipate serving even more in the near future as the new operation continues to transform!

 

Written by Chelsea Robinson

If you have clothes to donate, you can email donate@broadstreetministry.org