Polkville clothing closet collects essential items for infants, toddlers
When Michelle Davis learned her high school classmate was going to have a baby, her love for Jesus prompted her to lend a helping hand.
Knowing her friend did not have many items to support her soon-to-be newborn, Davis, along with several friends and her mother, collected clothes, diapers and other baby essentials for their fellow student.
Davis was so taken by the experience that she wanted to continue giving to those in need. Sixteen years later, the Infant and Preschool Clothing Closet at Polkville Baptist Church on 4212 Polkville Road continues to serve parents who need clothes for the little ones in their lives.
“I told my mom I think we need to do this for more girls that are having babies,” said Davis. “We asked the leaders of the church if there was a room we could have and that is where we opened it up at.”
Will Davis, husband of Michelle Davis and pastor of the church, said the commitment to helping those in need is a calling within the Christian community.
“Our command is to love one another and to love our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind,” said Davis. “If we were in that situation, we would want someone to step up and help us.”
Dustin and Jessica Black recently combed through the racks to find items for the newest addition to their family. Black is expecting her third child.
“It’s a blessing to have a place like this,” said Black. “This is my first time here, and I found out about it through the Cleveland County Health Department. We are here to get a couple things we need.”
When Davis opened the closet in 2005, no one showed up the first week. Slowly but surely, the line began to grow. Now, the closet is open the third Saturday of every month.
“It’s hard for me to believe,” said Davis. “Now I have three kids, and my 8-year old comes and helps and get the hangers for the families and gets the diapers and bags stuff up and helps carry the stuff to the car. She is there almost every time.”
Davis said having her kids see how impactful philanthropy can be gives her confidence they will understand how to put others first.
“I think my 8-year old sees how we can share things we have with other people and that it is important to share what we have with others,” said Davis. “When she was younger, she would ask how much people had to pay for the items. I told her families donate things they don’t need, and we give them away for free. I try to remind her, especially around Christmas, that Jesus is the perfect gift that we didn’t deserve. We can give gifts to other people to remind them of Jesus’ gift for us.”
Latrice Williams can be reached at 704-669-3339 and lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Michelle and Will Davis run clothing closet at church in Polkville
