HANCOCK COUNTY — Peggy Couch knows how much a $3 rain poncho can mean.
For people who are homeless and braving an Indiana winter, staying dry is crucial to staying warm. Once a piece of clothing is wet, those without access to a dryer or tokens for a laundromat dryer struggle to get it dry again.
“Once people get wet from rain or snow … if they’re wet, they’re wet,” Couch said.
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Couch and her husband, Dean, launched God’s Open Arms Ministry in Greenfield. For five years, they and other volunteers have traveled weekly to offer supplies in Hancock and Marion counties.
The ministry is one of a number of organizations in the Hancock County area that seek to meet clothing needs. For some, such as Lambswear Inc., clothing is the mission. For others, such as Hope Center Indy, clothing is one piece of a larger goal.
Generally, volunteers are the ones sorting and distributing clothes, stretching dollars to meet the most needs and have the biggest impact. So they’re grateful, they emphasize, for whatever people donate.
But some donations are better than others. They can tell stories of clothes passed along that would have been better sent to the trash, or the coat with the broken zipper that would require a heavy-duty sewing machine to fix. “It’s better than nothing” can be the refrain of some would-be donors — but if it’s a pair of boots that leak, that might not be true.
“The intentions are good … I’m not being ungrateful for any donation at all,” Peggy Couch said. “It’s just that some donations are more practical than others.”
Some of those more practical items are gone quickly, and organizations struggle to keep them in stock.
The answers vary, but each need is real: Ponchos. New socks. Coats. Plus sizes.
Or even toddler outfits.
“We just have nothing” in the 18-month to 2T size range, said Linda Vodney, office manager at Life Choices Care Center in Greenfield.
The center offers free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and counseling among its services. It also offers clothes up to 2T to those who need them for their children, regardless of whether they’ve been a client of the center.
People can donate everyday infant and toddler clothes to the center, as well as supplies such as bouncy seats or small bassinets. The center doesn’t have room to accept baby furniture, although Vodney has taken a name and number of those wanting to donate it in case someone walks in requesting it. She’s also referred people to a baby furniture ministry partnering with Love INC.
Life Choices is looking for everyday clothing, not dressy outfits worn only on special occasions.
Lambswear Inc. makes a similar request of those donating clothes. It wants to fit children with clothes they can wear through the average week.
The organization, started in 2012 by two women at Outlook Christian Church in McCordsville, initially gathered clothing for foster children. It later expanded to serve all children, according to the group’s website.
Lambswear distributes gently used clothing and new socks and underwear to parents and caseworkers who request them. “There are no qualifiers,” said board member Patty Strother.
While the organization stocks clothes from preemie size to 14-16 youth, “We cannot keep enough 6X through 14-16,” Strother said. Or coats.
Since the socks and underwear Lambswear distributes are always new, an “Undy 500” drive in May and a “Socktober” drive in the fall generate donations of those items.
“We can always use socks,” Strother said. “With our drives, we probably get about half of what we need.”
Changing Footprints also requests new pairs of socks. The non-profit organization, which distributes shoes to people in need locally and globally, anticipates a move to Greenfield in February.
“Because we give away one pair of new socks with each pair of shoes, there is always a huge need for socks,” board member Deb Cherry wrote in an email to the Daily Reporter.
Hope Center Indy, a facility west of New Palestine that ministers to women coming out of human trafficking, could also use socks. With winter coming on, that’s important, said Sarah Blair, one of the directors of the Redefined Hope Boutique that raises funds for the center.
While the first-floor boutique sells new fashion and accessories and a few gently used garments to the public, the center has a second-floor boutique to offer apparel to the women staying there.
“We’ve tried to make it cute and store-ish,” Blair said.
The women receive new socks, but their boutique features gently used clothes and accessories. Blair said those donating items for the center need to aim for clothes suitable for an 18- to 30-year-old woman. Larger sizes, extra-large to 3X, are a particular need.
What isn’t usable at the center is passed along to Goodwill.
“They do pay us per bag with Goodwill money,” Blair said. “We actually still are benefiting.”
It’s a common theme among the organizations ministering by offering clothes: Finding a way to pass along what is not usable.
At Lambswear, that means putting the occasional party dress or tie aside and selling those items at closeout prices. Such sales, conducted each April and September, generate some extra money that could help pay the light bill or buy more socks.
At God’s Open Arms, anything unsuitable for its ministry but still potentially useful might be passed along to a network of partners that includes local pastors, the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen and other organizations.
“We pass things around,” Couch said. “We’ll share that stuff around and get it to the appropriate places.”
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Changing Footprints: Men’s boots are always a premium, said board member Deb Cherry, and nice/new children’s shoes. Tying matching shoes together saves volunteers hours of matching them. Also needed are new socks for all ages, particularly for schoolchildren and men’s boot socks. Other useful donations are cleaning wipes, spray cleaners, Sharpie markers and scented dryer sheets.
Donation boxes are located at Hope House, Needler’s Fresh Market in New Palestine, Anytime Fitness, That Fun Place, Greenfield Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Willow Branch United Methodist Church, and Changing Footprints’ coming new headquarters at 1001 W. Main St., Greenfield.
God’s Open Arms: Needed items include coats, blankets, socks, underwear and hand warmers. Also think of hats, gloves, thick winter scarves, water-repellant jackets, candles, flashlights and batteries. The ministry also visits some long-stay Greenfield motels; some people there could use work-suitable clothes.
Donated items are accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Family Auto Repair, 201 E. North St.
Hope Center Indy: The center accepts women’s clothes (ages 18-30), winter coats and scarves, new hygiene items — "basically anything a woman needs to live," said Sarah Blair.
There’s a dropoff location at the back of the center; look for a loading dock with a large white box and, coming soon, a "Donation Dropoff" sign.
Hope House Thrift Store in Greenfield: The store sells apparel (along with furniture and household goods) to raise money for the homeless shelter at 35 E. Pierson St.
Lambswear Inc.: New socks are a perpetual need. Gently used clothes from 6X to 14-16 are harder to keep stocked than younger sizes. Donate items at the organization’s warehouse, 5841 Thunderbird Road, Suite D, Indianapolis, during its open hours: 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Life Choices Care Center: "We accept baby formula, gently used clothes to 2T, baby food, small baby items like bouncy seats, swings and pack n plays," office manager Linda Vodney said. Or, you can order items directly from the center’s Amazon Wish List and have them delivered to the center.
MOM House (Maternity Outreach Ministry): This outreach of Heather Hills Baptist Church in Cumberland offers clothing.
Outfitters: Those referred by a trustee, school or church receive a voucher to shop for gently used clothes, coats and shoes at 880 S. Pendleton Ave. There’s a collection box for those donating items. Outfitters receives children’s sizes 4T-18 as well as adult, junior and young men clothing. Items should appeal to teenagers. You can also donate new baseball caps, new socks and underwear, and gently used athletic clothing and equipment.
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