Clothing Drive Aims to Help Unemployed Women

Searching for a job and landing an interview in the current economy can prove a difficult task for any anxious job seeker.  When a job hunter lacks the professional attire often expected at a job interview though, that process only becomes more difficult.

Dressbarn, along with the non-profit organization Dress for Success, hope to at least help with the latter part of job searching as they collect new or gently used professional attire to aid unemployed women who are unable to afford professional clothing.

In a campaign known as "Send One Suit," or, "S.O.S.," the Dressbarn in Cerritos and other store locations around the country will accept professional clothing donations from March 1-4 with the goal of collecting more than 60,000 pieces of professional attire for women who are trying to transition into the workforce. 

"Since the inception of the 'Send One Suit' campaign... we have helped women across the country gain a renewed sense of self, as well as economic stability," said Vivian Behrens, the chief marketing officer at dressbarn.  "Ask any of those women and I'm sure they'll say the donations they received were more than just gestures of good will, they were lifelines," she said.

Last year, the campaign collected more than 51,000 items of clothing and the company estimates it has helped more than 125,000 women since the program's inception 10 years ago. 

While dressbarn will handle collecting the clothing, it will be the responsibility of Dress for Success to distribute the items to women in the community. 

The non-profit organization says it strives to promote economic independence among disadvantaged women "by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and life."

Those in the Cerritos area interested in donating can do so an the Dressbarn location in the Cerritos Towne Center at 12859 Towne Center Drive.  Donors will also receive a 15 percent discount on any purchase they make.