The ALX Cupboard opens for families in need

Giselle Pelaez and Christine Levine officially open the ALX Closet August 1 at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center.

The Alexandria Children’s Center and the Alexandria Children’s Fund have joined forces to open the ALX Closet, a new clothing and resource center located at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center to serve families in need in Alexandria.

The Closet officially opened on August 1 with a ribbon cutting and members of the social services community in attendance.

“I can’t even begin to explain how exciting it is to be here today celebrating this incredible collaboration between the Alexandria Children’s Center and the Alexandria Children’s Fund,” said Giselle Pelaez, executive director of the Alexandria Children’s Center. “ALX Closet is dedicated to supporting the children and families of Alexandria in times of emergency or crisis. The mission of this joint initiative is to provide essential items to people in need, ensuring that every child and family has access to clothing and other necessities during difficult times.”

Through donations, the ALX Closet is stocked with children’s clothing up to size 14/16, toiletries and hygiene products, diapers, wipes and formula, and gift cards as available.

Kathy Horan organizes clothing at the Aug. 1 opening of ALX Closet.

Local resident Sally Simmons was on hand for the grand opening.

“My family has a small foundation and we love to give back in Alexandria, especially in women’s and children’s safety and health,” Simmons said. “This is a vital organization because they work with children and families who come from outside the country. Children need help and parents need help, that’s why we work with the Child and Family Network Center.”

Access to the ALX Closet will be through social service providers located in the Del Pepper Community Resource Center.

Alexandria Fire Department Battalion Chief Anthony Kelly attended the opening after participating in a donation drive for the center.

“We’re a service to the community, and any time we have an opportunity to give back to the community, we take advantage of it,” Kelly said. “What better opportunity than to help some of the most vulnerable parts of our population. The men and women of the fire department donated mainly toiletries and gift cards. We know that every little bit helps us.”

The ALX Closet will be operated by volunteers, who will be needed Monday-Friday mornings. Inventory will be stocked on a seasonal basis.

“We already have a huge inventory of fall items, so our intention is to rotate our inventory each season,” said Christine Levine of Fund for Alexandria’s Child. We are very excited about our holiday dresses and will need a lot of Halloween costumes in October.”

Through a donation from the Bruhn-Morris Family Foundation, ALX Closet has a supply of pack-and-play cribs.

“We have the pack and play cribs that we give to our families in need because we want every child to have a safe bed to sleep in at night,” Levine said. “We are very grateful to Lori Morris and the Bruhn-Morris Family Foundation for their generosity.”

The city will provide ongoing lists of donation requests to keep the pantry stocked and able to provide support to families in need.

“We collaborated to create ALX Closet specifically with a focus on providing a dignified opportunity for families to access emergency resources and to provide service providers with an opportunity to engage with families in a very relaxed setting while that family is in crisis,” Pelaez added. .

Alexandria Children’s Center provides prevention, intervention and treatment programs to children and families in Alexandria. The Alexandria Children’s Fund processes requests to provide immediate assistance in the form of basic needs and opportunities to improve the lives of children in foster care and children who are at risk of abuse and neglect.

“This is more than clothing,” Simmons said. “It’s about helping people find the right place to go in this building for the resources to meet their daily needs.”

www.centerforalexandriaschildren.org