The cooler temperatures are heating up fall fashions. Soon enough, holiday deals and the famous Black Friday will be in the foreground of many young women’s minds. For some less fortunate girls, however, fall feels different because they may not have experienced the feeling of receiving newer, trendier clothing. My Girlfriend’s Closet (MGC) is a nonprofit organization started by high school girls and their mothers from Point Loma and Ocean Beach. The organization collects slightly worn clothing and gives it — at no cost — to girls and young women, ages 12-22, who are in need. The distribution is done at events typically held at the Portuguese SES Hall in Point Loma. “[Clothes] are a form of expression and they reflect how I am feeling that day,” said Meghan Zander, board member of MGC and a Point Loma High School senior. While she acknowledges the importance of fashion, she said she also knows it’s not everything. “When we first started, we wanted to target the foster-care group,” said Denise Seymour, one of the founding adult members. However, as word of the organization’s free clothing distributions spread, so did the organization’s reach. “We don’t turn anyone away,” Seymour said. Girls and young women in need of clothing, shoes and accessories are welcome to attend the distribution events — which are typically advertised through announcements in The Beacon, on the organization’s website, through teachers and social workers and generally word of mouth. “We try to make it look like a little boutique,” Seymour said. The rules for “shoppers” at the events change and are reformulated each time. For example, young women currently get two tickets for jeans and perhaps three tickets for accessories. Before, they just received two bags and were permitted to fill them with whatever items they selected. “It’s a work in progress,” Seymour said. SAY San Diego — a comprehensive social-service agency serving youth, families and communities — taps into My Girlfriend’s Closet as a resource, said Ellen Yaffa, director of development for SAY. “One young woman received these clothes and she was thrilled beyond belief,” Yaffa said. “She felt as though it was a boost beyond measure that she could have such a thing.” The clothing items, while not new, are in good condition and are often highly recognizable fashion brands. Some of the young women who receive the clothing have never had trendier clothes. “It’s been a resource that we’ve been thrilled to have,” Yaffa said. An anonymous legal secretary was among the founding mothers. She took it upon herself to achieve nonprofit status for MGC. Her peers said previously such a status was too difficult to establish and they discouraged her, Seymour said. “She didn’t stop, just quietly went along her way and was successful with her first attempt,” Seymour said. “My understanding is that it is kind of unheard of.” The theme of dedication continues even now, six years into the existence of My Girlfriend’s Closet. MGC appears to be on the verge of a growth spurt. The teenagers who run the organization — alongside their mothers and adult members — are taking MSG’s mission to local schools and hoping to form My Girlfriend’s Closet clubs as a way to get more young women involved and receive more donations. “It was a really great community service project because girls could relate to shopping and could relate to what it feels like to have a nice outfit,” Seymour said. The most recent distribution event in August attracted hundreds of “shoppers” and about 50 to 70 volunteers, in addition to about two dozen volunteers who already serve year-round. MGC members said they are having a hard time collecting large-size clothing, however. “It just breaks our hearts to have these girls come, maybe stand in line for an hour and half, maybe find a purse or shoes and couldn’t find any clothes that fit,” Seymour said. When items are found, it is like a golden treasure hunt. For more information, or to learn about the next distribution event, call (619) 884-0844, or visit www.mygirlfriendscloset.info. MY GIRLFRIEND’S CLOSET
Items to donate: Gently used, fashionable clothing, all sizes, for ages 12-22 (casual clothing, party dresses and shoes); accessories (purses, belts, hats, jewelry, books, etc.); clean, stuffed animals; unopened makeup; some career clothing DROP-OFF SITES: Point Loma 1058 Novara St. Mission Hills 3240 Curlew St. La Mesa 4009 69th St. Encinitas Encinitas Family Care 351 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 101