| The Hutchinson News
New Beginnings has opened a temporary clothing pantry in the former Pic Quik building at 800 S. Main.
The operation is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Shelves, counters and even coolers in the former 2,000-square-foot convenience store overflowed on Wednesday with donated clothing, shoes, blankets and other items, including televisions and stuffed animals.
More clothing fills racks in the back of the store, said Trey McKee, who was overseeing the operation on Wednesday.
Officials at New Beginnings sought the donated space along Main Street to offer free clothing over the winter to those in need. Employees of the New Beginnings Transitional Job Program are staffing it.
While the organization focuses primarily on housing in the community, it has received a lot of donated goods, said Jo Mora, director of fund development.
“The community wants to give away their clothing,” Mora previously told The News. “We get calls 365 days a year. The big issue, on top of the need, is people don’t want to give the clothing to anyplace that is going to sell it, and we want to follow their wishes.”
Users of the store should be low income, Mora said, but there is no limit on what they can receive.
Her arms loaded with clothing, Taryn Conner, of Hutchinson, said she appreciated the temporary operation, which will be in the space donated by Dan and Debbie Fast, until March.
“We love it,” said Conner, who was there with her husband, Michael. “It’s a great new option besides the Soup Kitchen.”
The response, both from donors and those looking for clothing, has been steady, said Anna Anguiano, who was also staffing the store on Wednesday.
Besides stocking the shelves, the staff record details about the items going out the door, said Anguiano, pointing to a stack of reports on a nearby table completed so far.
“We get donations and set them out,” Anguiano said. “Everything is up for grabs for those in need.”
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