WESTFIELD — The Community Clothes Closet, housed in the Westfield Presbyterian Church now provides an additional service to the village of Westfield.

In a recent report to the congregation, CCC volunteers announced they had been able, in the past year, to donate over $2,000 to other community services.

Proceeds, after expenses, from the sale of gently used adult and children’s clothing, have allowed for funds to be donated to the Westfield Food Pantry, Appleseed Preschool, Welch field and personal care supplies to the school nurse’s office.

Organizers attribute the steady flow of donated clothing which is the heart of the project’s success, to the fact that not only does the Closet fill a local need but the income, from prices of only 50 cents to $1, is now also shared locally.

What was, post-COVID, an empty section of the Presbyterian Church’s education building’s basement now houses racks and tables and rooms of high quality clothing and bustles with customers and volunteers during regular hours, on work days and on special occasions like Prom Shop when over 20 dresses and many suits complete with shoes, ties, purses and jewelry were given away.

Typically, according to organizers, three volunteers work when the shop is open. Workers are busy with customers, sorting the incoming donations and with guiding the occasional group visits from local schools.

Additional storage is an ongoing project, as is the recruitment of volunteers to work two or three hours a month. CCC volunteer Marie Edwards noted WAVE hours are available for high school students Interested in volunteering. Of course donations of gently used clothing are always wanted. Also, the CCC volunteers are looking for suggestions to improve the layout and in the selection of items offered. For example, the closet now has several maternity clothes and nurses’s scrubs from recent donations.

The Clothes Closet is accessible through the Portage Street entrance of the First Presbyterian Church and is open on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m. to noon and from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays.