By THERESA HOGUE
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Thursday, September 4, 2008 12:00 am
Charity still accepting donations
Normally reserved for parishioners, the pews at Circle Church of Christ were piled high with clothing Wednesday morning, dappled with multicolored sunlight pouring in through the church's stained-glass windows.
For the moment, the sanctuary was serving as a storage area for some of the thousands of items of clothing that have been donated to the church over the last month. Next week, the church holds its annual community clothing giveaway, but right now, it's still accepting donations as volunteers sort through a mountain of sweaters, shirts, dresses and pants and place them in their appropriate sections.
The church's basement as well as several tarped outdoor structures have been temporarily turned into a makeshift "shop" which will make it easier for participants to find their size and type of clothing during the massive giveaway.
Chris Jensen, a member of the church for more than 20 years, was working in one of the outdoor structures with her
4-year-old son, Caleb. Normally, Jensen volunteers with children's activities at the church, but each year, every member of the congregation puts their usual tasks on hold to help prepare for the giveaway.
"It's a lot of work trying to keep the racks full," she said. "We just get tons of clothing."
It's not just members of the church that donate the thousands of items of clothing given away each year for the past two decades. Members of the greater community are constantly coming by to drop off their clothing. When Jensen used to work at Oregon State University, she said, co-workers who learned she was a member of the Circle Church of Christ often told her they made a point to donate clothing to the event each year.
Jensen's family goes through their closets three times a year, and the remnants are always destined for the giveaway. The entire family also volunteers at the event. On Wednesday morning, Caleb was doing chores such as fetching tape for his mom.
"It's important for my children to understand there are people in need and we can help them," she said.
Because the event stretches over five days, church volunteers will be constantly replenishing racks with more donated clothing waiting in the wings. Jean Woods, who has been a member of the congregation since 1962, said pretty much every member of the church is donating at least one night a week of time to get ready for the giveaway.
"It's great to see people come and fill their closets for the beginning of school," she said.
While donations are stacking up, Woods said they could still use more children's clothing. Anyone wishing to donate clothing this week can drop it off at the church's basement door on the east side of the building.
Often, more than 1,000 people come to pick up free items. This year could be even busier.
"My guess is there are going to be more people this year," Jensen said, "because of the economy."
Circle Church of Christ is located at 2020 N.W. Circle Blvd. The clothing giveaway is open to the public, and hours are
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 10 through Sept. 12, and 8 a.m. to noon, Sept. 13.