I volunteered at Clothesline for Arlington Kids for a year before they had to limit access to volunteers because of COVID. I loved working there. Ben and Ellen have done an amazing job serving the less fortunate families of Arlington. They make sure the clothes are in great shape - stains or holes are definitely not accepted. The shop is inviting, colorful and the clothes are organized in a way that makes it easy for the families to shop. The best thing about volunteering is working with the families when they come to the shop. They are always treated with respect and patience, which is the model Ben and Ellen have established. They feel welcome and are so excited to get clothes and accessories for their children. Even with COVID, Ben and Ellen have continued to provide clothing to families in need without the support of the volunteers. They are amazing. I really look forward to when I can help them and the families again.
I can't say enough great things about Clothesline for Arlington Kids. The organization collects new and clean, gently used quality clothing from the community, and distributes it free of charge to low-income school-aged children in a welcoming space. It has been amazing to see how quickly the organization has been able to ramp up collection operations throughout Arlington, cost-effectively sort the clothing, and also operate a retail environment to making shopping for clothing empowering for recipients. This has all been done with volunteer time and a very efficient budget.
For volunteers, this is a great group to join. There are many ways to contribute to the organization. For donors, clothing is one of the most under-served areas of community need. There are many organizations seeking to assist with housing and food, but very few addressing the critical need of clothing. Donating new or high quality used clothing, or donating monetarily, is a great way to support this very important organization.
Clothesline is an incredible organization - it engages everyone throughout the community, in terms of the opportunity for families to hand down high quality clothing as a family community/environmental service project, adults without children able to donate to older children, and the community members with need to give their kids high quality clothing so that they can learn with dignity and confidence. In a short amount of time, Arlington has embraced this organization so completely because the model makes sense and allows so many to engage and connect.
I volunteered with Clothesline for some months (and will again post-pandemic) and was impressed at how Ellen and Ben created a retail experience for families. Clothes were carefully chosen to appeal to young people, and displayed beautifully. It was a joy to watch parents and children select items--young teens were excited to find trendy clothes they'd be happy to wear! It was particularly satisfying to see families select warm jackets last winter.
Clothesline is an asset to Arlington families.
I have volunteered with Clothesline since their inception, sorting clothes, assisting clients, and clerical activities. They put care put into every aspect Of their operation is evident the moment you enter the store. They have pivoted during the Covid epidemic making sure to keep clients and volunteers are kept safe.