Photos courtesy of Emily Tull Pollakowski
Located in Westchester County, New York, Bundles of Joy is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to providing essentials such as clothing, school supplies, and toiletries to babies, toddlers, and new mothers in need. They collect new and "nearly new" items from generous local donors and distribute them to their network of social service agencies, shelters, hospitals, and schools.
Recently, Bundles of Joy expanded their reach by opening a new school clothing "shopping" experience for elementary school age children called Joyful Closets. Maura Fitzgerald, a New York-based professional organizer and one of our Brand Ambassadors, brought this to our attention, as she intended to assist them by donating her services. "There are two things that make the Joyful Closet project extremely special and important," she says. "First is the concept itself: Joyful Closets is a beautiful place where children in need can go to shop for all their essentials free-of-charge. The second thing is illustrated in how it came together—one mom in a small Westchester community had an idea to help children in need, and from there she rallied multiple resources within that community to get funding, a location, and the product donations. This was no small feat!"
"When Maura let us know about Joyful Closets and that she was donating her design services, we were thrilled to partner with her in making such a meaningful impact for children in one of our local communities," says Jackie Harper, The Container Store's Manager of Cultural & Charitable Giving Programs. Of course, any nonprofit or business can benefit from good organization, and since that's our raison d'être, we stepped in to help provide the kids with a tidy and fun shopping experience.
Founder/Executive Director Adrienne Harper stands in the freshly-organized Joyful Closets space.
"Having to stress over getting basic essentials shouldn't be something our kids have to worry about," says Adrienne Harper, the Founder & Executive Director of Bundles of Joy. "That's what this closet is supposed to be: a shame-FREE experience for kids in need to get whatever they want. No more hand-me-downs in garbage bags stored under a desk. It's not just what you give but it's how you give it that matters most to the receiver."
The first aspect of the project we took on was choosing the right type of shelving. While we offer a wide variety of options, Maura felt that InterMetro would be the most useful in this particular space. Its freestanding design and considerable strength make it a customer favorite, and it's perfect for a myriad of uses. And with the addition of Clear Shelf Liners, you can instantly give the wire shelves a solid surface suitable for smaller objects.
To neatly sort many of Joyful Closets' product categories, Maura brought in our White Plastic Storage Bins with Handles. They're incredibly versatile, durable, and easily labeled with a chalk marker or sticky adhesive labels. These bins were used for items such as coloring books, hair products, and school supplies.
For articles of clothing and other larger accessories, Maura suggested our Sterilite Totes. Constructed from tough molded polypropylene, they can be used over and over again. The snap-on lids keep out dust, and the integrated handles make them easily portable.
Adrienne and the rest of the Bundle of Joy team are incredibly happy with their new space and excited about being able to help even more children. "[The opening day] was INCREDIBLE and better than I even imagined," she says. "I am so proud of the community we live in and continue to be blown away by everyone's generosity. I got to welcome the children and their parents to this space that was made just for them. To see Joyful Closets come to life from something that was just an idea I had made me feel like I'm helping write a better story for these kids."
Special thanks to Maura Fitzgerald for helping us with this project!
