THE COMMUNITY CLOSET
The mission of the Community Closet is to help the disadvantaged of greater Bridgeport by offering clothing and household essentials free of charge, regardless of race, creed, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or place of birth. This mission is in keeping with the work of the UJA-Federation in matters relating to social justice, and reflects the profound Jewish commitment to tikkun olam, the repair of the world.
A professionally staffed operation, the Community Closet collects donations of clean used clothing and small household essentials, sorts and display them (and if needed, stores them for seasonal needs), and gives them away completely free to needy clients referred by a broad cross-section of the area’s human service agencies and programs. Reflecting the diverse Bridgeport community, these referring offices demonstrate considerable variation in size, location, sponsorship, client ethnicity, and religion.
The Community Closet itself is co-sponsored with FSW, and is located in FSW’s headquarters at 475 Clinton Avenue in Bridgeport. The UJA-Federation’s Community Relations Commission initiated the project in 1991 as a service to the Bridgeport Community at large. Now in its 16th year of operation, the Community Closet stands out for its unusually effective inter-agency collaboration and its use of volunteers to deliver the basic needs of clothing and household goods to so many poor people striving for self-sufficiency. At the same time the Closet provides valuable experience and training to the volunteers who serve these clients.
The Community Closet is the pre-eminent local project dispensing free merchandise to needy people. We have expanded our Back-to-School Backpack & School Supply Give-Away Project; incorporated the Bridgeport Hospital’s Children’s Resource Bank; have taken a leadership role in the Continuum of Care’s Project Connect stand-down event for the homeless, and recently assumed responsibility for ABCD’s St. Jude Hands Reaching Out Clothing Project.
The Community Closet is dependant on donations of clothing and household items from individuals and companies in the entire community.
To arrange to make a donation, please call Karen Seferi, Director of the Community Closet, at (203) 368-5624.
For more information on the Community Closet, or to get involved a project of the Community Relations & Israel Advocacy Department, please contact Laurie Gross, CRC Director, at (203) 372-6567 ext. 172, or lauriegross@jccs.org.
To support our Federation’s efforts with the Community Closet, and to make a gift to the UJA-Federation Annual Campaign, please contact Jody Fidler at (203) 372-6567, ext. 175, or Jodyfidler@jccs.org.
