BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The Community Closet, a community service that offers gently used clothing to those in need, recently donated $3,525 worth of food gift cards for Lisai’s Market to families throughout the Rockingham School District. This is the third consecutive year they have made this generous donation to the community, in which the gift cards are given to the Rockingham School District for distribution to the families most in need.
“At this years’ end, we just gave $3,525 worth of Lisai’s gift cards to the Rockingham School [District],” Nancy McAuliffe said in a recent interview. McAuliffe is the senior warden of the vestry at Immanuel Episcopal Church. “They make sure that the gift cards are distributed to specific families in need throughout our community.”
Founded by and located at the Immanuel Episcopal Church, 20 Church Street in Bellows Falls, the Community Closet offers adult clothing and other essentials to those in need throughout our community. Originally, they offered all types of clothing, and accepted anything and everything.
However, while temporarily closed during the Covid pandemic, they decided to clean out and redirect their focus on accepting and offering clean, lightly used adult clothing only. In the transition, all children’s clothing was donated to Busy Bees Children’s Clothing Hive, located at 17 Rockingham Street in downtown Bellows Falls.
“Then, in December of 2023, SEVCA closed their Good Buy thrift stores in Springfield and Bellows Falls, leaving a big hole for families on limited incomes,” McAuliffe said.
“[SEVCA] offered to donate their clothing, hangers, and clothes racks to the Community Closet, and we have also partnered with SEVCA in accepting their vouchers. Thus, people who need assistance should contact them for more information.”
After reopening post-Covid, the Community Closet started putting their yearly profits towards purchasing and providing Lisai’s Market gift cards to the community, with the tally growing from $1,000, to $1,500 last year, to the $3,525 donated this year, just in time for the Christmas break.
The Community Closet is located at 20 Church Street in Bellows Falls, and is open on Wednesday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. They accept clean, gently used clothing and shoes for adults. Contact the Community Closet by phone at 802-463-3100; by mail at P. O. Box 64, Bellows Falls, VT 05101; or by email at immanuelepiscopal@gmail.com.