Looking for a dress for prom? Or a bridesmaid dress? Maybe a dress to wear to a wedding?
Hope 21 Ministry has you covered.
“A Dress For You,” an event hosted by the ministry, will be a fun couple of days to find formal dresses, shoes and more – all for free, no strings attached.
“I don’t care if you are below the poverty line or making a six-figure income,” said Hope 21 Ministry director Lisa Swartz. “I want people to come and feel welcomed.”
Hope 21 Ministry is a clothing boutique located on the third floor of the Transit Building. The ministry has been providing free clothes, shoes and fellowship for the past six years.
This is their first time hosting A Dress For You.
Swartz and other volunteers at the ministry said they hope many will come and have a good time.
“We will have Heath’s Market bring water and snacks,” said Swartz.
The group has big plans for decorating the Great Room of the Transit Building with lights and mirrors, and changing rooms will be set up to try on dresses.
The first 200 people to come will receive a little gift bag with Tic Tacs, lip gloss, tissues and other goodies, said Swartz.
There will also be a drawing at the event for participants to receive gift cards for local businesses. Swartz said she is still collecting gift cards.
Swartz said the event, as well as the ministry, is a group effort. “Everything is volunteer and donations,” she said.
Many of the donated dresses are brand new, said ministry volunteer MaryLou Hall. “A lot of them still have tags on them.”
Swartz said that over the years of running Hope 21 Ministry’s clothing boutique, she saw a specific need for girls to find prom dresses, as well as other formal wear.
She shared a story of one young lady who came to the clothing boutique and found a formal dress that fit her. Swartz said the girl said with tears in her eyes, “Now I can go to prom.”
Swartz said that many girls just won’t go to the dance if they don’t have a dress, or feel they can’t afford one.
“There is such a need. It is unreal,” Swartz said.
The motto for Hope 21 Ministry is “Take what you need. Give what you can.”
The ministry team is made up of seven volunteers.
“Altogether, we probably put in 40 hours a week, when you add it all up,” said volunteer Dawn McVay.
Donations are collected twice a week from a drop-off site at The Crossing Free Methodist Church at 206 Wilson Ave. in Oil City. Donations are then sorted twice a month.
Clothes are sorted by gender, size and season, said Swartz. Clothing that isn’t in good condition is recycled.
Swartz said the clothing boutique is open to anyone.
“It’s not about income… You don’t have to fill out any paperwork when you come in the door,” she said.
The ministry is filling a need, said Swartz, but it’s not primarily about the clothing.
“It is about planting seeds for Jesus,” she said.
Swartz said the ministry has grown and changed in the past six years.
“We’re just doing what God is calling us to do. It doesn’t fit in the box you think, but God’s plan is better.”
The ministry’s name comes from Matthew 12:21 — “In his name, the nations will place their hope.”
“I want people to come and feel welcomed, whatever is going on in their life… I want them to feel special and be treated with dignity,” said Swartz.
She added that some people come to the boutique just to have a cup of coffee and visit.
Swartz and the other volunteers are excited about how the ministry has grown over the years and have plans to continue improving it. Eventually, the ministry would like to establish its own website.
Swartz said the community has been very supportive of their efforts.
Cranberry High School’s student club, Ignite, is one group that has shown support for the ministry.
“The students came and toured here… They toured and did some cleaning and worked a night (at the boutique),” said McVay.
Swartz added that when she was giving the club a tour, the students asked what the ministry needed. She told them they wanted to get a TV for the kids room. Swartz said it would help keep the children occupied while their parents or older siblings shop at the boutique.
“A couple of days later, they (Ignite) showed up with a TV,” said Swartz. “I love how the community is working with us.”
Swartz also hopes to add a mural with 21 stories of hope to a blank wall at the ministry.
The boutique is open from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays.
More information can be found on the ministry’s Facebook page.
