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New closet opens for The Children’s Cabinet clients

A jewelry cabinet has bracelets and necklaces dangling from it next to several canvas bins and a rack of clothes.
Lucia Starbuck
/
KUNR Public Radio
Jewelry and clothes available for The Children’s Cabinet clients at Katie’s Closet in Reno, Nev., on Feb. 2, 2024.

There’s a new place for clients with The Children’s Cabinet to browse for clothes.

Racks of clothes, jewelry, and board games lined the basement of the Wilbur D May Youth Center in Reno. The closet, named Katie’s Closet, is put together by the nonprofit Katie Grace Foundation, which also supplies the clothing.

Kimberly Weingartner founded the organization to share the story of her daughter Katie, who was fatally struck by a vehicle at the age of 15 in 2017.

The closet started with shoes, something Katie loved. Now, Weingartner hopes the clients can have a fun shopping experience while picking out their favorite looks.

“I just hope that they will enjoy being able to choose new clothing and not digging through or sifting through something that is somebody else’s that they’ve gracefully donated. We just really wanted them to know that you get to have new stuff too,” Weingartner said.

The Children’s Cabinet CEO Kim Young said the nonprofit continues to see the need for clothes.

“The economy is tough. Families are struggling to make ends meet, so clothing, a lot of times isn’t prioritized. It can’t be. This is a way that we can help stretch people’s budgets a little bit more and have kids and families feel like they’re getting those special things that make them feel good about themselves,” Young said.

This is the third closet the Katie Grace Foundation has set up. The others are at the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Reno and for kids at the Our Place shelter.

Lucia Starbuck is an award-winning political journalist and the host of KUNR’s monthly show Purple Politics Nevada. She is passionate about reporting during election season, attending community events, and talking to people about the issues that matter most to them.