The Giving Closet, a nonprofit store in Vancouver that offers free donated clothes, food and toys to low-income families, received its largest donation yet after budget issues prompted fears the nonprofit would have to close.
“It will definitely keep our free community store thriving and going. We will be secure for another year, easy,” said Denise Currie, The Giving Closet’s founder.
The KMR Group Foundation, a Vancouver-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting underserved communities locally and internationally, donated $150,000 to The Giving Closet after reading about its financial troubles in The Columbian.
The values of The Giving Closet, including treating people going through tough times with dignity, aligned with its own, Kate Jones, executive director of KMR Group Foundation, said in an email.
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To make an appointment to shop at The Giving Closet, go to givingcloset.org/shopping, email Jen@givingcloset.org or call 360-993-4800.
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“After reading the article, we knew we wanted to help, so we arranged a visit. Seeing their operations up close and hearing their story firsthand was truly eye-opening. After careful consideration, we felt compelled to extend a helping hand,” Jones said.
Last year, The Giving Closet lost major funding, totaling about $230,000. A donor decided to invest in a new ministry; an online fundraiser raised a fraction of money it normally did; a 10-year commitment from a business sunsetted; and the store was declined a grant, according to Currie.
In all, the store lost about 92 percent of its budget, prompting talks of closing this year. But community members stepped up, signing up for monthly donations and spreading the word about the possible closure.
Currie said the $150,000 grant is, by a longshot, the largest donation The Giving Closet has received.
The Giving Closet serves more than 100 people a day, providing necessities in a time of rising rents and inflation.
Many of the families who shop there told The Columbian the store is their only means of providing shoes and clothes for their children.
Currie said the people who shop at her free store are relieved.
“We’ve been telling them, and they are so elated,” Currie said. “When they found out that we had some help coming, they were so excited because a lot of them were saying they didn’t know what they were going to do.”
Currie said the funding will give her staff time to plan more fundraisers that will keep the store operational.
“It gives us some breathing room instead of the panic mode,” she said.
