Susie Powers works outside the home, but she doesn’t have a direct employer. She has a history of giving her time and energy to others, namely the Springfield Public Schools clothing bank. Located at the Study Alternative Center, Powers is in her third year as the bank’s co-chairwoman and volunteer. Recently, a friend nominated Powers for Cenex’s Tanks of Thanks Program, and she was the winning choice Jan. 22 for 12 months of free gas and a case of oil. Among 10 people from 10 states awarded, the Cenex gas gift has an estimated value of $2,000.
Behind the Scenes “It’s like a full-time position. There’s a lot of laundry and sorting. We run on donations. People bring donations by and they’re not always available to bring those by on Thursdays, which is our workday. There’s been many a time when I’ve met people with donations. We’ve had people whose home has caught on fire and their children are students. So we’ve met them to help with the clothing situation. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes time that needs to be invested, but I enjoy doing it.”
Getting Involved “I only have one [child]. He goes to Jarrett. … There is a (vice president) over health and safety with the [district’s] PTA council. Her name is Kim Wrinkle. She came to me and said, ‘I’ve taken on this position, and the clothing bank chair has moved, so I’m going to be the one running the clothing bank.’ I said I’d be willing to come and help every so often. That has turned into two-and-a-half years. (laughs) It’s a two-year term that she’s served, so the district has been looking for someone to head it up all this school year because technically, our term is over. But, because nobody has been found, she’s staying on completely and I’m over there when I can be.”
Thursday Service “Because it is [open] after school now, a lot of children do come with their parents. They get to shop three times a school year. They can get five shirts, three pants and a lightweight jacket. Their first visit of the school year, they can get new underwear and new socks. In the winter, they can get a coat, a hat and gloves. And it’s completely free. They just have to qualify by being on free or reduced lunches and enrolled and attending school. … There is someone there from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays. Donations can be made before 2:30 when doors open for our shoppers. That’s when we have a lot of our PTA moms come and volunteer is during the day. … They can also drop them off at their own schools, which have bins.”
Shopping with Pride “We aim to make it look like a little shop. We have it set up with one side for boys and one side, girls. We have a check-in. We have a socks and undies section. We have a check-out station. And then Kiwanis is in the corner with its shoe closet. We want to make it feel like they’re shopping. There’s a lot of pride in the clothing they have when they get to go to school and it doesn’t have holes in it or rips in it, or it’s not too small or it’s not dad’s old shirt.”
Donation Challenges “We deal with that quite a bit. We’ll put out a plea on social media. The council puts out a plea to the schools. The Lord watches over us, and we end up with the donations we need. It’s amazing. We needed boy’s pants and Bass Pro Shops just donated 1,000 pairs of boy’s pants. And those are brand new. The need is big, but somehow, it gets filled. … The numbers fluctuate up and down, but last year we served 1,600. That was the entire year. Before Christmas, I believe we were over 1,300, so we should top over 1,600 this year. … The underwear and socks are purchased new, and that’s with money from the PTAs. There’s a fund for that. Primarily, everything we hand out is from donations.”
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
