YMCA launches clothing drive




The Southeast Ventura County YMCA has launched an ongoing clothing drive to provide new and gently used clothing, bedding and other items to children in foster care through the Ventura County Foster Parent Association.

The drop-off sites are four of the Y’s local branches: Conejo Valley YMCA (serving Thousand Oaks and Moorpark), Miller Family YMCA of Newbury Park, Simi Valley Family YMCA and Triunfo YMCA (serving Westlake Village, Oak Park and Agoura Hills).

The association will collect the items from the Y branches twice a month. The donations are not for the Y but will go to the foster parent association. Donors will receive receipts from VCFPA.

Every year, 6,000 children countywide are removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect and are in need of a foster home. Many leave their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs.

“With each child we take in, the cost can be well over $500 per child for essentials including school supplies,” said Sami Martinez with VCFPA. “We provide clothes to help with the immediate needs. We then let the kids, foster parents, kinship and even birth parents come in and select whatever they need. By supplying these critical items, we can hopefully retain quality foster homes that might not be able to afford the expense of taking more kids.”

The items most needed are diapers, onesies, T-shirts, pants, bedding (twin and crib), socks, shorts, sweatshirts, sweaters, jackets, shoes and underwear.

Items are distributed to those in need at Rachel’s Closet in Ventura.

For more information, call Janice Wise at (805) 497-3081, ext. 108, or email jwise@sevymca.org.

For addresses of the YMCA branch locations, go to www.sevymca.org.