When we first spoke with the wonderfully caring people at Hope Closet a few years back, we were humbled to be included in something so meaningful. They had a great vision for serving the local communities we also know and serve, and we were happy to play a part in moving Metro Detroit dress donations to those who need them. For these reasons and many more, it’s likely that our employees never had such a rewarding experience before when it comes to helping with dress shopping!
It may have all started with just a few bridesmaid dresses, but Hope Closet’s dedicated volunteers grew it bigger and better to the point where they needed a large moving truck and a professional moving crew. A few years later, they needed to manage two truckloads!
It was inspiring to see the involvement and buy-in from individuals and stores who donated. The drive proved to have exponential effectiveness, well-thought packing procedures for donations, and great display equipment gathered up so dresses could be set up in a boutique-like fashion at Royal Oak First United Methodist Church. It was clear that the bar had been set high and we are thankful for employees who were up to the challenge.
When we first got involved, we started by utilizing our experience managing customer and business relocations. Working as a team unified for a great local cause, we were proud of our employees’ hard work to estimate needs, coordinate logistics, and follow through on our commitments. They customized their approach to Hope Closet’s circumstances and we couldn’t be happier to get involved for many years thereafter.
Then in 2015, Hope Closet marked its 12th year and we marked six years of involvement. Over time we saw how Hope Closet’s phenomenal increase in donations meant the potential for increased time loading, unloading, and configuring storage. Our relocation storage spaces were a natural fit for year-round safekeeping and we could offer them in-kind. It was the kind of investment of resources that you could see already paying dividends as Hope Closet used this to generate more momentum.
With storage taken care of, Hope Closet was able to cut the budget needs in half, get more efficient, and increase focus on improving the experience for those they are helping. More dresses are getting collected and students are now asking how they go about donating back after they are done with their gently used formal wear. It looks like Hope Closet is not just moving dresses, but moving Metro Detroit students toward a greater sense of philanthropy, too.
Proudly Moving Metro Detroit Dress Donations
The need will be continual as the following years bring new kids, new styles, and old donations filtering out, but the sustainability of the project is looking more promising every day. With this in mind, we are very proud to be moving Metro Detroit for a great cause with Hope Closet.
Moving Metro Detroit Philanthropy Forward