County of Fayette issued the following announcement on July 26.
Fayette County CYS Hosts Clothing Giveaway
Thanks to Fayette County Children and Youth Services, many county residents were able to upgrade or supplement their wardrobes recently without spending a dime.
Uniontown, PA - Thanks to Fayette County Children and Youth Services (CYS), many residents were able to upgrade or supplement their wardrobes recently without spending a dime.
CYS hosted a clothing giveaway July 17 at their offices at 130 Old New Salem Road, Uniontown, and Deputy Administrator John Fritts said the drive was a successful one, with people arriving and being let in to shop as much as 20 minutes before the scheduled 9 a.m. start.
“It’s been a steady stream of people so far,” he said later that day. “I’m impressed with the turnout.”
Fritts said the giveaway was organized largely by caseworker Reba Stramat, who put together CYS’s successful Souper Bowl food drive earlier in the year, and CWIS Supervisor Rebecca Pegg.
“Reba and Rebecca, specifically, did a really good job with the organization of it,” he said.
Fritts said the clothing drive offered children’s and adult clothing, both old and new. He noted that the agency received many of the clothing as donations over time.
“We had a lot of overstock,” Stramat said. “We thought originally, (we would have a) yard sale, but then, we thought, ‘No, let’s give it away to people who need it.’”
Fritts said all manner of clothing was available, including shirts, pants, socks and outerwear. CYS also found a creative way to get what they didn’t have.
“We let our staff wear jeans for a dollar a day,” Fritts said. “That money would go to fill the gaps in the clothes we didn’t have.”
Any unclaimed clothing was donated to local nonprofit Honey’s Helping Hand, Fritts said.
The clothing giveaway is one of several events planned for the community in the coming months.
“We wanted to start doing something for every season, not just with our clients, but we wanted to do something with our community,” Fritts said.
Fritts said people sometimes have a negative and/or misinformed idea of what Children and Youth Services is and what it does. By reaching out into the community, the agency hopes to reshape those impressions a bit.
“We’re really trying to change how people view us and be more of a partner with the community,” Fritts said.
Part of that effort is holding seasonal events to benefit CYS families and the county as a whole. Fritts said the agency is planning a trunk-or-treat event for Halloween, as well as its annual stuff-a-sleigh this winter. Both of those events will be open to the community, not just CYS families.
Stramat said the Souper Bowl will be held again next year, adding that like the food drive, the clothing drive was a team effort.
“It has definitely been a group effort by a lot of employees,” she said. “They want to make sure they’re helping their families but the community as well.”
To learn more about Fayette County, visit www.FayetteCountyPA.org.
Editor's Note: Photos attached (CYS Clothing Giveaway)
Greeting those who attended the CYS clothing giveaway were (front, from left) Ashley Lee and Tiffany Marghella; (back, from left) Rachel Fremd, Sami Mitchell, Velincia Fields and John Fritts.
This communication, among other initiatives, is funded through the 2016 Fayette County Local Share Account (LSA) in cooperation with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, The Redstone Foundation and other partners. This funding has been designated for the continued promotion and marketing of Fayette County, PA.
For more information, contact Kristi Rooker Kassimer, Public Relations Specialist, at 412-691-0262, kkassimer@fayettecountypa.info or Jamie Rankin, Journalist, at 724-434-4486, jamierankin13@gmail.com.
Original source can be found here.
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