Have you heard about Blue Ridge’s Annual Clothing Exchange? Maybe you are asking yourself, “What is the clothing exchange?” Our church hosts this annual event and the idea is simple: fill boxes and bags of good condition clothing & shoes you or your children have outgrown and bring them to this great event! You bring in clothes that your family no longer needs and then you can “shop” and pick out clothes that you can use. And it’s all free!! It’s a way for our church family to bless one another. Our abundance fills the auditorium each year. Also, we open up to the community at the end of the week on Saturday morning to take as much free clothing as they can carry away. Traditionally, there’s a long line of people waiting for the doors to open!
It may seem simple, but the Clothing Exchange has had a BIG impact in bringing people into our church and meeting their needs in a practical way. One year, one of our visiting missionaries was able to come and found a suit that fit him perfectly! A pastor from a nearby church has come to get clothes to use in one of his ministries to the homeless in Washington DC & Baltimore. There have also been a couple of cases where families affected by recent fires were able to find clothing. Every year we have several single mothers and pregnant teens that are able to benefit as well. Since this is the ninth year our church has hosted, the word is spreading; people drive over an hour from neighboring states to attend! We are expecting several hundred people this year! We have the opportunity to fellowship with our neighbors and friends & encourage one another in the Lord while shopping – yay for multitasking!
It is being held the Saturday after the enormous Purcellville Town Wide Tag Sale. If you plan to attend the Tag Sale, pick up some business cards in the foyer kiosk (available starting September 24) to take with you and hand them out to the vendors you visit. The card gives people a place to bring their unsold clothing AND advertises our clothing exchange to those in our community at the same time. The business cards are also a great resource to pass out at work, sports events, and to give to others you know who could benefit from this awesome event.
Also returning this year we will be hosting the super popular Christmas Toy Giveaway to the community to allow those in need to “shop” for toys to give their children as Christmas gifts. We will be accepting toys, puzzles, and games with all the pieces. All items should be clean and in working order (battery operated toys should have batteries included). We will NOT accept any stuffed animals or broken toys. Our hope is that this will be a blessing to those for whom buying gifts is a financial hardship. Last year the Toy Giveaway was a HUGE hit and “sold out” in an hour!
Many volunteers are needed to help with the sorting of clothing. Everyone who drops off clothes is asked to distribute their clothes into the proper categories before shopping. Hours of the Clothing Exchange to drop off clothing and volunteer to help set-up, sort, shop and clean-up:
- October 12-13, Thursday & Friday, 9am to 8pm (Clothing accepted, sorted, & shopping)
- October 14, Saturday, open to the community, 9 a.m. to noon
- October 14, Saturday, clean up, pack up and re-set the auditorium, noon until done
If you have ANY questions or wish to volunteer to help, please contact Courtney Shipe (). Volunteers are especially needed on Saturday during the community shopping, as well as to clean up and re-set the auditorium. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend! It is a GREAT casual time of fellowship & who doesn’t like shopping?