Free Formal Wear Donation Drive Started In NoVA, Collection Sites Needed

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A donation drive being held over the summer is helping to ensure students in need can get decked out in dress and accessories for school dances in the fall and spring.

The Alexandria-based Two Men and a Truck announced its Dress It Forward campaign to collect items for homecoming and prom events. Businesses, organizations and individuals are encouraged to get involved by donating or hosting a collection box.

Ryan Downey, the multi-unit marketing coordinator at Two Men and A Truck, told Patch the idea was originally geared toward helping with the financial burden of buying outfits and accessories for homecoming season. They decided to open it up more broadly to formal wear, from bridesmaids to job applicants at interviews.

"We really kind of wanted to take that [stress] out of the equation and be able to give people the opportunity to feel confident and to feel beautiful and not have to worry about the financial stress and financial struggle of having to go the extra mile to do those things for whatever the occasion may be," said Downey.

New and gently used items such as homecoming dresses, prom dresses, other formal wear, high heels, flats, jewelry and other accessories are being collected.

Those items will go toward the Dress It Forward shopping day on Sunday, Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Two Men and a Truck (5910 Farrington Ave, Alexandria, VA). Residents will be able to pick out items free of charge and use storage pods in the facility as changing rooms.

Two Men and a Truck Alexandria has been reaching out to businesses, churches, gyms and other locations to host a collection box. Participating groups or individuals can create their own donation boxes, and Two Men and a Truck will collaborate on providing flyers and pick up donations as needed. Collection sites may be around the region, as Two Men and a Truck has other nearby locations in Manassas and Fredericksburg. Those interested in serving as a collection site should reach out to Two Men and a Truck through Instagram.

So far, collection sites include The Company of Books, SalonDeZen, Sara Campbell Boutique, Artistic Artifacts and Orangetheory Fitness in Alexandria, Smitten Boutique Salon, Blossom and Buds and Rock Spring Congregational Church in Arlington, Orangetheory Fitness, Melody Yazdani Studios and Trace the Zero Waste Store in Vienna, Burn Boot Camp in Fairfax. Donations will also be accepted at the Two Men and A Truck Alexandria location.

Collection sites can choose to hold onto the box for a month or longer, depending on how many donations have been provided. The deadline for collections will be Aug. 29.

Two Men and a Truck typically runs charitable campaigns each season. It just wrapped up its spring Movers for Moms campaign, which collected items for women and babies at homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters. Other past campaigns include its Movers for Mutts campaign to collect supplies to nonprofits and animal shelters in the fall and Truck Full of Warmth with winter jackets and other items for homeless shelters.

These charitable campaigns help Two Men and a Truck fulfill its slogan of "Movers Who Care."

"We want to give back to our community," said Downey. "We want to know what the essential needs are out there for our customers, and not only our customers, but their children as well."