Helps us change the lives of kids in need, by volunteering as a Personal Shopper in our Stamford CT Store. We welcome volunteers who can give a little or a lot of their time! (and have so much fun giving back too!).
Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County is 100% volunteer-operated nonprofit. Volunteers are a critical component to providing a quality service to children in our community. We are currently looking for adult volunteers to work as “personal shoppers” directly with our kids and their families to help them select clothing during their visit. The smiles of the kids and parents after they choose their wardrobe make it an experience you will never forget .
You can volunteer 1x a week, 2x a week, 2x a month or more. Our CTKF Store is open by appointment only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. To maintain client privacy, volunteers must be 18 years of age or older (and high school graduates) to help shoppers in the front of the store.
I want to officially welcome Vicki Puciato and Mary Boehlert to the Board of Directors for Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County (CTKF). It is very exciting to have the vision of CTKF confirmed by the interests of others. After all, we are only as good as the board members and volunteers who move the organization forward to fulfill our mission. It is one thing for me to think that CTKF is amazing in how it distributes clothing and improves the overall functioning of a family and the academic achievement of those eligible for our services, but to have others see the organization through the same lens is a wonderful experience.
Vicki Puciato
Both Vicki and Mary were inspired by our vision that every school age child deserves quality clothing so that he or she may attend school with the confidence and self-esteem needed to achieve academic success. Vicki first expressed an interest when she understood that CTKF is unique in how we provide clothing to the kids eligible for our services. She became very excited when she learned that the children make an appointment to shop with a personal shopper! Mary first became interested when she read an article in the Connecticut Bar Association magazine that was published prior to the actual opening of our CTKF Store. Mary has young children and understands first-hand the importance of clothing in a child’s development, and the cost of providing kids with the clothing they desire.
While it is very difficult to ascertain the composition of a good board, I think for a new non-profit CTKF has been quite successful. Our board works exceedingly well to make certain the decisions made are the best for those we serve and overall, for CTKF. The board is comprised of individuals who really care about children, and care about helping them grow into the best people they can become. We all remember what life was like growing up and the difficulties we encountered. The diversity of our board members will greatly enhance the future direction of Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County.
CTKF would like to recognize a very special volunteer, Nadine Baccellieri. Nadine is CTKF’s Volunteer Coordinator. She organizes and supervises other volunteers, assists groups with clothing drives, handles administrative tasks for CTKF, and does a fabulous job of keeping us organized! Nadine is very dedicated to the CTKF mission, and we are lucky to have her on our team! Thank you for all that you do for us, Nadine!
The week of July 24th was a busy one at the CTKF Store! On Monday, 14 campers from the Stamford JCC came to volunteer with CTKF. They helped to organize all the girls and boys t-shirts, underwear, socks and shoes. They also cleaned up the store and sorted clothing. In addition, they helped to replenish the racks by hanging clothing. These campers are in grades 6-8. They accomplished a great deal in 1½ hours!
Also, thanks to a Morgan Stanley clothing drive and over $400 raised from a crowd funding effort, 73 kids received new bathing suits at The Boys & Girls Club at The Yerwood Center. Just in time for Water Safety week, with programs courtesy of the Zac Foundation. Over 100 children participated and many were wearing suits provided by CTKF!
Morgan Stanley Volunteers were hard at work sprucing up our storage space! Our storage room, which is the primary home for donations that await their debut on our store racks, has been in need of a makeover, and the Morgan Stanley volunteers accomplished just that! The volunteers carefully took their time to paint the room, giving it a fresh, new look! A big thank you to the amazing Morgan Stanley volunteers for making CTKF a little brighter!
Do you love to shop for bargains? If so, then becoming a Garage Sale Donation Finder for Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County could be the perfect project for you!CTKF has fun upcoming volunteer opportunities this spring and summer for anyone who loves to shop for a good deal!
Cynthia Iriondo, a CTKF volunteer from South Windsor CT, is a tag sale shopping expert. Check out this photo of just some of her awesome finds for CTKF! Cynthia identifies local tag sales in her neighborhood, and selects gently used or new clothing for CTKF’s inventory. Get involved this spring and become a Donation Finder like Cynthia.
A group of 11 sixth grade students and history teacher, Will Colombo, from the Stanwich School of Greenwich, CT, came ready to help in the CTKF Store this week. Stanwich School students volunteer their time once a month in the store to lend their assistance wherever it may be needed. CTKF’s Volunteer Coordinator Nadine Baccellieri kept the group motivated as they worked together on projects such as ensuring an abundance of coats would be available for clients, organizing the cubicles filled with new packages of underwear and socks, refolding pajamas and shirts into neat stacks, and keeping the shoe sizes in proper order. As with a retail store, tidying up and displaying more items for shoppers is important. Maintaining the store is a task that requires enthusiasm, and this group had just that! Thank you Stanwich students and Will Colombo for a job well done!
CKTF would like to thank the student members of Stamford High School’sbuildOn Club and their Advisor/Teacher, Matthew Gladstone, for spending this past Sunday afternoon volunteering in the store. The few hours of work that this group devoted to the CTKF mission was much appreciated.
With clients shopping at CTKF the day before, the store was in need of restocking. The students did an excellent job of preparing the store for the next week of clients. The group sorted through boxes of new items and attended to the details, such as organizing the accessories in both the boy’s and girl’s sections. Sunday’s cold, windy weather served as a reminder that this group’s priority was to ensure that plenty of warm clothing, scarves, and gloves would be available for children needing winter garments.
Thank you Matthew Gladstone for helping organize the afternoon, and thank you buildOn members for your assistance!
