Neighborhood House Clothes Closet Expands Hours

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Rochester Area Neighborhood House, a private, nonprofit human service organization that assists struggling individuals and families in their efforts to move toward self-sufficiency, is expanding its services and enhancing programming at their Clothes Closet located at 44 Mill Street in Rochester.  The Clothes Closet has been providing clothing and small household items to neighbors in need at its current location for over 20 years.

The expansion began June 4 when the hours of operation became Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 2pm and Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 7pm.  In addition to being open to current clientele of Neighborhood House, the Clothes Closet will also be open to the general public, allowing all area families the opportunity to take advantage of great prices on “almost new” and gently used clothing and accessories.  This expansion comes as a result of the recognition by Neighborhood House of the community need for increased assistance.

The mission of the Clothes Closet, to offer a community service of providing clothing and small household items to those in need in the Greater Rochester Area, will not change.  However, by opening to the general public as well as qualified clientele, Neighborhood House hopes to reach more families in need who could benefit from the Clothes Closet’s ability to offer quality clothing and household goods for all family members at family-friendly prices.  The recent economic downturn has forced many local families to readjust their budgets.  This means tightening the belt when it comes to purchasing clothing for infants and toddlers, back-to-school students, work and career needs, and outerwear.  Some of these families may not be eligible for other programs that Neighborhood House offers, but they are living paycheck to paycheck and are struggling to make ends meet.  Neighborhood House sees the expansion of hours and accessibility of the Clothes Closet as a means of helping all neighbors who could benefit from the high quality and cost effectiveness of Clothes Closet items and services. 

In an effort to continue to stay true to the Neighborhood House mission of assisting the community during times of hardship, any proceeds received from the sale of additional clothing and household items will be used to assist families in need in the Neighborhood House service area through up-keep of the Clothes Closet and its programs or through direct assistance to families in need through other Neighborhood House programs.

The Clothes Closet will also be asking for additional donations from the community in order to meet the increased demand for quality goods and services.  Outreach will continue through the summer months as schools, service groups and faith-based groups are welcome to organize clothing drives to meet the increased needs of Clothes Closet patrons.

In addition, Neighborhood House will be seeking the assistance of area volunteers to ensure that service needs of Clothes Closet patrons are met without interruption. While the Clothes Closet manager oversees the day to day operation of the Clothes Closet, all other personnel at the Clothes Closet are volunteers.  This allows Neighborhood House to keep costs low while still offering a professional service for families in need.  Those individuals or groups who are available to help are encouraged to contact Neighborhood House at 248-651-5836.  Volunteer applications and additional information is also available at www.ranh.org/volunteer.