Moses Lake church clothing bank has people covered

MOSES LAKE — Clothing the needy has always been considered an important act in the Christian faith. At Moses Lake Church of Christ, the ladies take that calling seriously. 

“We’ve tried several ways to reach out and help the homeless in our community, but it’s not really worked out well,” said Joyce Wagner, a member of the little church across the street from Moses Lake High School. “We just couldn’t find our niche … So we started with a couple of little classrooms and what clothing we as a congregation could bring in.”

The church’s clothing bank began about a year and a half ago, Wagner said, when a young man in the congregation decided he wanted to do some kind of outreach to the homeless. But his work took him out of town, so some of the women in the congregation picked up where he had left off, and today there are racks and racks of clothes free for those who need them. 

The congregation at the Church of Christ isn’t very large, Wagner said, only 40-60 people at Sunday services. But they got the ball rolling, and other folks have stepped up as well. 

“Just about everybody in this congregation has brought clothes,” said member Georgia LaVoy. “My husband passed last summer, and I brought his whole wardrobe here. Every time I hear (about someone moving), I say ‘Oh, I know where to take those clothes,’ and people are more than happy to bring those clothes over.” 

“I stopped by in my neighborhood at the end of the day, and I noticed that a family had a pile of stuff, and it just said ‘free,’” Wagner said. “They had gotten it out of their house and … they gave it all to us. So people are willing. They want to help.” 

The clothes are stored away in a disused classroom and wheeled out on rolling racks into the sanctuary. Other classrooms are laid out with tables and racks: one section is devoted to children’s clothing, another for women, and another for clothes suitable for business or job interview use. A rack of neckties hangs on a classroom door, and there are racks and shelves of shoes of all kinds. 

“We have some people who need to come in and get work clothes,” Wagner said. “Teenagers, because there are places that require, maybe, black pants and a particular color shirt. So we’re meeting that kind of need.” 

The need comes from many different quarters, Wagner said. The church is in contact with the school district, and they have someone there who helps middle and high school students who need clothes. 

“My husband volunteers at the police station,” Wagner said. “We have had police officers contact us because they run into people on the street (who need clothing). The hospital called late Sunday afternoon and they had a patient who needed clean clothes. My husband and I had already been given his sizes and what he needed; We gathered it up and took it over to the hospital.” 

“Particularly as it gets colder here, we want to make sure that (the homeless) have some covering so they don't (freeze) to death. I was a nurse in ER, and you get people that have frostbite.” 

The clothing bank is open the fourth Saturday of every month, and people are welcome to fill up two bags with what they need. The limit was made necessary because a few people took advantage of the free clothing, scooping it up and reselling it elsewhere. 

“I think the ladies were kind of shocked,” Wagner said. “We weren’t expecting that, and stock dwindled pretty quickly.” 

Exceptions can be made to the limit in certain cases. 

“We’ve had whole families that come in that just have nothing,” LaVoy said. “They just got here and they really don’t have anything.” 

“If someone comes in, we’re going to give them what they need,” Wagner said. 

Donations are always needed, the women said. Socks and underwear are in especially high demand. So are clothes for school-age children. 

“(Especially) boys,” Wagner said. “They are so hard on their clothing, not as much shirts, but on jeans and shoes. So those are always items that we need a lot of.” 

The clothes should be gently used, Wagner said, but the church will wash and fold the items before putting them out.  

The clothing bank has gotten donations of hygiene items like toothpaste, and recently the church held a diaper drive, so those things are sometimes available. But mostly, the women said, they stick to clothing and bedding. 

“(Sometimes) people are having to make a choice between eating and clothing,” Wagner said. “We simply want to be able to open our doors and say ‘Come on in. We can help you out.’” 

Moses Lake Church of Christ Clothing Bank

808 E. Sharon Ave., across from Moses Lake High School

9 a.m.-4 p.m. the Fourth Saturday of every month

Assistance/donations: 509-765-5021

    The clothes at the Church of Christ clothing bank are stored away in a disused classroom and wheeled out the fourth Saturday of every month into the sanctuary. The rolling racks were donated, said organizer Joyce Wagner, to make bringing the clothing out and putting it away a simple operation.
  

    Children’s clothing is in high demand at the Moses Lake Church of Christ clothing bank, especially for school-age kids.
  

    Shoes are laid out on a rack at the Moses Lake Church of Christ clothing bank.