The Fostering Collective is inviting the East Texas public to turn out for The Collective Closet open house on Monday.
The grand opening will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Collective Closet, 403 Texas Highway 110 South in Whitehouse.
The Fostering Collective, a faith-based community bringing hope to children in foster care by providing support, resources and encouragement to foster and adoptive families, has one goal in mind: to help change the lives of at-risk children in East Texas. Toward that end, they are excited to introduce the Collective Closet to the greater Tyler community.
The Collective Closet, located in Whitehouse, is a community closet stocked by area churches and individuals. The Closet exists to help foster, kinship and adoptive families get the items they need. The Collective Closet also assists other child-placing agencies in the area to stay stocked up on essential family items.
At the grand opening Monday, the Collective Closest will accept supplies and donations to help stock the closet for families transitioning into foster care and opening up their homes to children in need. Anyone bringing an item on the needs list to help stock the shelves during the open house will receive a free Kona Ice.
Larger items should be new or like new and include infant and toddler car seats, strollers (single or double), baby monitors, diaper bags, baby gyms, small cribs, crib mattresses, toddler beds, baby carriers and high chairs or seats. Smaller accessories are also needed such as nail clippers, thermometers, baby Tylenol, baby Advil, baby lotion, shampoo, children’s cough syrup, toothbrushes, toothpaste, small flannel blankets, small stuffed animals, coloring books, crayons, card games, jump ropes, etc.
The Fostering Collective T-shirts will be sold at the open house. There will be tags available on the shelves of items needed to donate money on site to purchase those needs. Justin Hayes, executive director, and Christi Sowell, program director of the Fostering Collective will be on hand to provide tours and to share the vision and ministry for the Collective Closet. If you are unable to make the open house but still wish to donate items, contact the Collective Closet for local drop-off area locations.
For more information, contact Christi Sowell, program director, at 1-903-312-4655 or by email at closet@thefosteringcollective.org.