New Canaan residents Michelle Buscher and Jenny Kask have organized a town-wide clothing drive to collect seasonally-appropriate clothing, outerwear and footwear for donation to Person-to-Person.
Donations of gently-used items will be accepted for two weeks (Monday, April 26 through Friday, April 30 and Monday, May 3 through Friday, May 7) at the offices of MBSport (31 Grove Street, New Canaan) between the hours of 9:30 am and 4:30 pm.
For Buscher and Kask, organizing this drive is just one of the ways that they work to make a difference in the lives of others. Both women have been involved with charitable organizations throughout their lives and now volunteer at Person-to-Person – a non-profit based in Darien that provides basic emergency services in the form of food, clothing and financial assistance to people living in lower Fairfield County.
One of more than 100 New Canaanites who volunteer at Person-to-Person, Jenny Kask serves in the reception area at the agency. "There is a real need in this geographic area for the services that P2P provides," she says. "I see people who are working, sometimes at more than one job, but still don't earn enough to cover the cost of rent, food, clothing, transportation and all the other expenses of daily living."
While the majority of P2P clients are low-income residents of neighboring communities, since the recession the agency has seen an increasing number of people from more affluent communities who are facing a situational crisis and need assistance.
That P2P is able to provide help to those in need is largely due to the generosity of individuals, organizations and businesses, notes Michelle Buscher, who also volunteers in the agency's reception area. "The in-kind donations of food and clothing go to help people who are struggling to make ends meet," says Buscher "and the impact of providing a client with groceries for a full week of meals or clothing and shoes for their children is enormous."
With the advent of spring, the Person-to-Person Clothing Center – where clients have the opportunity to 'shop' for free, gently-used clothing – has distributed the last of the donated winter clothing and now needs seasonally-appropriate items for men, women, children and babies.
Buscher and Kask know that this is the time of year when people, as they start sorting through their spring and summer clothing, come across items they no longer want or need – including shoes and clothes that their children have outgrown. By holding this drive at this time, and giving people a convenient drop-off location, they expect to receive many donations. They know that people often want to help others and that cleaning out their closet is one of the simplest ways to do so.
"When you take the time to donate the things you or your family won't be wearing again," says Buscher, "you're offering a small measure of dignity to the clients of Person-to-Person." Kask agrees, adding "on the days that we volunteer at P2P, Michelle and I see how happy children are to get a new outfit and the satisfaction their parents feel at being able to do this for them, or how appreciative the adults are who find the perfect thing to wear for a job interview."
Call (203) 655-0048 for more information about the New Canaan Spring Clothing Drive or visit the P2P website to find out how you can help Person-to-Person help others.
