Advocates say clothing insecurity is growing in Westchester
The warning was issued by Deborah Blatt. She is the founder of a children's clothing bank called The Sharing Shelf.
More Stories
Advocates are warning residents that clothing insecurity remains a growing issue in Westchester.
The warning was issued by Deborah Blatt. She is the founder of a children's clothing bank called The Sharing Shelf.
"We combat clothing insecurity so children can learn, grow, and reach their full potential," Blatt says The Sharing Shelf provides families with a week's worth of seasonally appropriate clothes for kids.
Blatt says the need for clothes is up more than 30% in 2025.
"What we're finding, what we're hearing, is that with the tariffs, with the inflation, with the cuts to benefits, more and more families are finding themselves pinching pennies," Blatt says.
Blatt spoke about these challenges during a panel discussion her organization hosted at the Coveleigh Club in Rye on Friday.
One of the topics that panelist Jirandy Martinez, from the Community Resource Center, discussed was the need for clothing in Westchester's immigrant communities.
"There's a lot of fear in our communities. I realize that people are trying to stay home and not go out shopping," Martinez says.
Martinez says this is why the people she serves at the Community Resource Center in Mamaroneck go to The Sharing Shelf.
"When they can go to a trusted place, or get clothing delivered to a trusted place, it makes everyone feel safer and more dignified," Martinez says.
Without that support, Blatt says kids could suffer.
"We know from studying it and talking to our partners, children are not going to go to school if they don't have clean clothing. Teenagers, in particular, are going to skip school and it also affects their self-esteem," Blatt says.
To learn more about how The Sharing Shelf is helping local kids, click here. https://sharingshelf.org/
