The First Teen Clothes Closet is expanding its reach through a partnership with the Children’s Clothes Closet, housed at Trinity Lutheran Church in La Crosse. We have recognized for some time that there are many families who struggle to access our facility because they lack transportation to Onalaska. Recently connecting with organizers from the Children’s Clothes Closet has presented an opportunity for us to bring more teens to our Closet as an extension of our recent decision to offer to pay for taxi or transit rides.

Seasons are changing, and the First Teen Clothes Closet is preparing for spring. Prom season is around the corner, and we would love to have more dresses, jewelry and shoes to offer our guests. Other needed items include athletic shorts for guys and girls, and soon we will need girls’ swimsuits. 

Thanks to the generosity of our congregation and community, the First Teen Clothes Closet has full racks for nearly all items. There are a few specific needs for which we would still welcome donations now: coats, shoes, boots and items in hard-to-find XXL and larger sizes.

Plentiful research states that thriving Christian congregations have a variety of robust opportunities for community service. When the congregation created the strategic plan in 2015, the growth of our community service efforts was named as a primary initiative.