Afton church opens clothing ministry to all, no questions asked
Sweaters, pants and winter boots are on display inside the basement of an Afton church where anyone in need of clothes is welcome to take some.
“Everyone needs clothes. Everyone needs God’s love,” said Cathy Honrath, one of the founders of Tabitha’s Closet. “That’s how we share.”
Located in the basement of the Afton Methodist Church, Tabitha’s Closet gives away clothes to anyone in need. The clothing ministry is named after Tabitha, a disciple of Jesus who made clothing for people in need, Honrath said.
The free clothing closet is usually open three days a month but sometimes opens more than that when there are a lot of donations to be given away, Honrath said. Tabitha’s Closet has also opened during times of emergency such as when people lose all their clothing and possessions in fires. The clothing closet has also helped foster children find clothes and people about to start a job with no new clothes get on their feet.
All clothing is donated. Any donation that is too dirty or torn to be given away gets recycled. Nothing gets thrown away, Honrath said.
“We keep clothing out of the waste stream,” she said.
While Tabitha’s Closet officially began in 2017, the church had a clothing ministry for at least 10 years or more before then, Honrath said. Clothing used to be stored in the church’s fellowship hall but they outgrew the space.
Anyone in need of clothing is welcome to come and get what they need, Honrath said. There are no restrictions on income. There are no questions asked of anyone who stops by. Every customer gets a smile and a friendly greeting from the volunteers who work there.
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“Our pastor talks about how it’s hard to meet people’s spiritual needs when their physical needs aren’t met,” Honrath said. “This is just one of the many ways that we can meet their physical needs.”
Rev. Ted Vernon serves as the church’s pastor. His daughter, Penelope Vernon, serves as one of the volunteers for Tabitha’s Closet. On a recent Saturday morning, she was busy sorting hangers.
“It’s fun,” the 11-year-old said of her volunteer work. “It’s nice to have this. It’s a nice opportunity just in case you want to go into the retail business. It’s really nice for social interaction and things like that.”
Nearby, another founder of Tabitha’s Closet, Deb Fetterman, took a break from hanging clothes, folding sweaters and helping customers find what they need. Kim Wright is the third founder of Tabitha’s Closet.
Fetterman said she didn’t mind all the hard work that goes into running the clothing closet.
“We need to help people in need,” she said. “There’s a lot of them. We are usually busy every time we are open.”
Fetterman also volunteers with students at Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES. Students come to Tabitha’s Closet to sort and hang clothes and develop some job skills to prepare them for retail jobs.
Fetterman spends almost every weekday morning sorting, folding and organizing clothing donations.
“I love it here,” she said. “It’s my home away from home.”
More about Tabitha's Closet
Tabitha’s Closet is open from 4 to 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday and 9 a.m. until noon on the third Saturday. It is located in the basement of Afton Methodist Church, 34 Spring St., Afton.
Donations of new and gently used clothes are always welcome. There is a drop box for clothing donations located next to the church.
For more information, find Tabitha’s Closet on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Afton Methodist Church Tabitha's Closet a clothing ministry for all
