Union County Giving Closet provides clothes for children in need

Children outgrow clothes fast, but for many Union County families, replacing them is becoming harder to manage. The Union County Giving Closet steps into that gap with a simple, targeted service: it provides clothing and shoes for children whose families are already using the Union County Food Bank, turning donated basics into something that helps a household get through the season with less strain.

How the Giving Closet works

The Giving Closet is based at 18 Market St. in Lewisburg and says it serves children from newborns through age 18. Families enrolled in the Union County Food Bank fill out a request form during food bank distributions on the first and third Fridays of each month, which keeps the process tied to an existing point of contact for people already under financial pressure.

That setup matters because it reduces the barriers that often keep families from seeking help. Instead of making parents navigate a separate system, the closet uses the food bank distribution day as the entry point. The organization says it gathers children’s clothing, shoes, socks, underwear and related items, then turns those donations into care packages that are practical, age-appropriate and meant to preserve dignity.

What a clothing package includes

Each child enrolled in the program receives a seasonal, biannual clothing package. According to the organization’s materials, that package includes 7 outfits, 1 pair of shoes, 1 pair of pajamas, 1 new pack of socks and 1 new pack of underwear.

That is more than a bag of leftovers or a one-time giveaway. It is a structured response to a recurring need, built around the reality that children need replacement clothes not once a year, but continuously as they grow, wear items out and move through school and seasonal changes. For parents deciding between a new coat, a utility bill or groceries, even one complete package can relieve pressure quickly.

The scale of need in Union County

The Giving Closet says it fills as many as 150 clothing requests per season and provides more than 2,000 outfits per year. Those numbers show that this is not a side project or a symbolic gesture. It is a regular part of the local safety net, serving families that are already stretched by the cost of living and the cost of raising children.

The broader county picture helps explain why that matters. Union County’s population was estimated at 42,313 on July 1, 2025, and 17.1% of residents were under age 18. Feeding America estimated that 5,200 people in the county were food-insecure in 2023, a rate of 12.2%. When a household is already relying on food assistance, clothing costs are not an abstract concern. Shoes, socks and underwear are the kind of purchases that can be pushed off for a while, until there is no way to delay them any longer.

Who the Giving Closet serves beyond Union County

Although the closet is rooted in Lewisburg and closely linked to the Union County Food Bank, it has served families across a wider stretch of central Pennsylvania. The organization says it has helped families in Union, Snyder, Columbia, Montour and Northumberland counties, and earlier materials say it has also supported families in Lycoming County.

That regional reach reflects how family hardship often crosses county lines even when local services do not. A parent in one county may have access to food support through a nearby distribution site, while a child’s clothing needs are met through a program just over the county line. In practice, the Giving Closet functions as part of a broader network of community support rather than a standalone charity.

The people and partnerships behind the work

Pennsylvania College of Technology reported that Allison Collins is the founder and director of the Giving Closet. In that same report, volunteers described the effort as a matter of “hope, dignity, and warmth,” language that captures the human side of what could otherwise sound like a simple logistics operation.

The Giving Closet is also connected to First Presbyterian Church, and that ties it to the kind of local institution that often makes small-scale aid possible. In Union County, churches, volunteers and nonprofits frequently fill the gaps that larger systems cannot reach fast enough. The Giving Closet fits that pattern by linking a faith community, a food bank and donated clothing into one practical response.

Funding, volunteers and how the community can help

The Giving Closet identifies itself as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and its fundraising page listed a $5,000 goal to purchase clothing and shoes for children in need. At one point, it showed $3,325 raised by 19 donors. A separate 2024 report said the organization received a $5,000 grant, underscoring how much it depends on outside support to keep clothing assistance flowing.

That dependence is exactly where local help becomes meaningful. The closet accepts both monetary and clothing donations, and its needs are specific: children’s clothing, shoes, socks and underwear. The most useful donations are the basics that children outgrow fastest and that families most struggle to replace when budgets are tight. Local churches, businesses and individual donors can support the program by giving money, donating new or gently used children’s items, or helping spread the word to people who already attend Union County Food Bank distributions.

The Giving Closet is one of those local services that becomes visible only when families need it. Its value lies not in spectacle, but in consistency: a scheduled distribution system, a predictable package of essentials and a direct connection to the county’s most basic form of family support.