This January, Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) opened the doors of Work: Ready Apparel, a Petaluma boutique clothing store where COTS Work: Ready clients can find suitable interview and work clothing — for free! A polished and good-quality work outfit is essential to the dignity of those who want to work, and need to work, in order to achieve their dream of moving into a home of their own.
How can you help? COTS' Work: Ready Apparel has a growing wish list for volunteer positions and in-kind items — especially gift cards that can be used to purchase items that cannot be worn second-hand.
Like many of COTS’ programs, Work: Ready Apparel has been a labor of love. The prime retail location, clothing donations, furniture, wall decor, paint and spackle, have all been donations from companies, service groups, and individuals. Dedicated volunteers have given merchandising expertise, hand pressed clothing, painted walls, mended small holes in clothing, and replaced countless buttons.
I dropped off a selection of suitable work clothes, shoes and bags from my own ample closet to a friend who is volunteering at this one-of-a-kind boutique, in the riverfront district on 2nd Street, recently. She'd initially read about this wonderful new program of COTS in a post on Southern Sonoma Country Life, last fall. I'd like to think that these gently worn outfits will carry some good energy forward to women who are making huge strides at job interviews and back to work opportunities. If you too can help with clothing donations (for men and women), please do.
Read more about this terrific boutique-with-a-difference at Centsational Girl. Super-blogger Kate and her sponsors brought style, energy, materials and elbow grease to make this happen along with a whole lot of community support for the forward-thinking folk at COTS.
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