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