Catie’s Closet strives to provide children and teens with a variety of clothing, as well as items that fit the current popular styles for the ages we serve.

Providing students in poverty with the clothing they lack can have a life-changing impact on their lives.

It meets their basic physical needs for comfort, safety, and warmth, and improves their emotional and mental health.

All of this allows children to attend school, fit in and feel valued, and ultimately reach their fullest potential.

That’s why we say, “it’s so much more than clothes”.

Clothing is the most visible sign of poverty, and children are the most sensitive about the way they look.

When students lack in-style clothing or a variety of clothing (many of the students we serve wear the same items every day), it can make them feel not as worthy as their peers. A feeling of belonging among peers is a critical piece to a child’s healthy development.

“Mostly, kids want an array of clothes so that they don’t have to wear the same thing every day,” said Denise Trombly, Director of Operations at Catie’s Closet. “Fitting in has come to mean ‘not looking like you have nothing’ and being ok to have your own style.”

Combatting issues beyond poverty

Today’s youth are up against even more pressure to fit in due to social media. Appearance is one of the most common reasons students experience bullying, both in school and online (cyberbullying).

To combat this issue, Catie’s Closet strives to provide children and teens with items that are in line with trending and popular fashion, as well as timeless pieces they can always feel confident wearing.

Additionally, Catie’s Closet provides students with hygiene and self-care products, including deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and menstrual products.

Now, what kinds of clothes do students hope to pick out when they enter their school’s Catie’s Closet or receive in a package from our SOS Urgent Response Program?

Below you can find a list of the top items our students feel most proud and confident wearing.

Our most urgently needed toiletries include:

You may be wondering about the sizes we accept.

We serve children and teens in grades prek-12 and accept a variety of sizes to ensure we have enough options for every person that relies on Catie’s Closet for support.

We accept:

  • Youth boys & girls styles in sizes 4 – 20
  • Teen boys & girls style XS-3X | Teen girls sizes 00-24 | Teen boy sizes 28-48
  • Infant & toddler size newborn – 3T

“The most difficult thing is to have enough of the requested sizes,” says Denise. “For instance, we have very few size Medium Teen Girl tops and we never have enough children’s sizes.”

It may be surprising that an organization that focuses on providing children with clothing actually does not have enough children’s sizes, but this speaks to just how much need there is for our services and how our needs for proper styles and sizes never ends or slows. It constantly grows.

How you can help

Catie’s Closet would not be what it is today without the unwavering support from local community members. New and gently used donations from individuals, families, groups, and companies are so important to our organization and truly make our work possible.

Consider donating your gently used clothing or unused toiletries that fit the above mentioned criteria to support the children of Catie’s Closet.

You can view more information on our Get Involved page here, including where to donate your items and how to download our mobile app to request a mailing label.

Click here to view our Amazon Wish Lists to support our students with brand new clothing and toiletry items. Your donation purchase will ship right to our Distribution Center. Thank you for your support!

Eighth Annual Fill the Bus is happening NOW!

Fill the Bus is our largest yearly call for like-new and new clothing donations. You can help us collect 80,000 items to fill our Distribution Centers and closets for the new school year.

Help us “Fill the Bus” and give students everything they need to start the new school year off right.

If you have clothing that fits the criteria described in this article, please consider donating to either of our three Distribution Centers in Dracut, Boston or Springfield.

If your clothing is not eligible, there are many other ways to participate in this event, which is held all the way through September 30, including hosting a drive and registering for our fourth annual virtual 5K. Learn more here.

Join our email community to learn more about Catie’s Closet’s work and how you can get involved to make your own impact.