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.
