Rye Y members rallied to support families throughout Westchester during a recent children’s clothing drive for The Sharing Shelf in Port Chester.
Rye Y members rallied to support families throughout Westchester during a recent children’s clothing drive for The Sharing Shelf in Port Chester. Organized by the Y’s Togetherhood Committee, the project gave members the opportunity to donate new or gently used seasonal clothing for babies, children, and teens and to volunteer during a day of service at The Sharing Shelf’s warehouse.
The Sharing Shelf is a program of Family Services of Westchester. The volunteer-run organization collects new and gently used children’s clothing for ages 0-19 and distributes it at no cost to children in need through social service agencies, teachers, and others.
“The purpose of Togetherhood is to bring our Rye YMCA members together to give back to our surrounding community,” said Committee Co-Chair Patty Mosher. “Once we visited The Sharing Shelf and saw the amazing job they’re doing, we knew that getting our membership involved would have a strong impact.”
From November 3-12, Rye Y members repeatedly filled a large box in the Y’s lobby with fall and winter clothing. By the end of the drive, the Y had collected everything from baby’s shoes still in tiny packages to winter jackets to boys’ jeans and girls’ dresses, enough to fill three large SUVs.
The morning of November 22, a group of Rye Y members — 13 adults and ten children ranging in age from 10 to 17 — arrived at The Sharing Shelf’s warehouse ready to roll up their sleeves and help sort and organize the donated clothing.
Sharing Shelf founder and Executive Director Deborah Blatt remarked, “Volunteers are critical to The Sharing Shelf’s work. I’ve run this effort as a volunteer and we rely on volunteers for every aspect of our work. The Rye Togetherhood group was a perfect example of community members coming together to make a difference in the lives of Westchester’s children who are in need.”
— Photos courtesy of the Rye YMCA and Hannah Blake
