Clothes to Kids of Denver is a donation-based boutique that seeks to provide quality clothing to low-income and at-risk youth. Many low-income kids do not have proper clothing for the winter months or their clothes don’t fit right. This can hurt their education by lowering their self esteem or lead to bullying. Clothes to Kids has a kid-friendly, cheerful boutique where families can shop to pick out a new wardrobe. When a family makes an appointment with the staff, they help make sure that the kids get everything they need. At this Project Helping volunteer event, volunteers may work in the warehouse to sort donations or organize the boutique to make it more welcoming.
The Volunteer Experience at Clothes to Kids
When I showed up to volunteer, I loved how much the boutique felt like a high-end department store. Everything was bright, clean, and well organized. Myself and the other volunteers got started with organizing the shoe area. After having multiple shoppers come through that morning, the area was in need of a little straightening. We first made sure that the shoes were in the correct area for the size, then made the shelves look neat. I took over the rack of shoes for little kids; some pairs were small enough that I could only fit my thumb inside. Little kids and their tiny clothing is my favorite! I really enjoyed getting to see all the cute, fashionable, and very tiny pairs of shoes while I volunteered.
Next, we split up to spend the remainder of our volunteer experience organizing different parts of the boutique. Some volunteers worked on hanging up the freshly donated shirts, others turned their attention to the rack of dresses. I organized the section of the boutique with the seasonal items like swim suits, winter gloves, and scarves, as well as other items like tutus and bras.
The best part of this experience had to be seeing all the cute, fashionable options that these kids had. It must really boost a kid’s self esteem to have access to nice, new clothing that fits. Then they could go to school in a new outfit, feeling like they are important and valued. It had never occurred to me that girls from low-income families might have a hard time affording supportive bras in the right size. Because of CTKD, girls had lots of options of different bras in lots of different colors.
Following an afternoon as a volunteer at Clothes to Kids of Denver, I really wanted to come back. It felt great to know that I was helping boost a kid’s confidence while enjoying myself!
Find your next volunteer event here. Learn more about our other volunteer events by checking out the post about Treasure House of Hope, SAME Cafe, and Project C.U.R.E.