Volunteers Sort Clothing At Anchored Ministries

In lieu of its regularly scheduled meeting at Conestoga Mennonite Church, members of the Neighbors group spent the morning volunteering at Anchored Ministries in Elverson on Feb. 7.

While at Anchored Ministries, which offers free clothing to people in need, about a half dozen members of the ladies' Christian fellowship group spent time sorting through clothing donations and placing the items in the appropriate areas, which were labeled for men's, women's and children's clothing.

Anchored Ministries owns and operates two mobile clothing closets housed inside trailers, which have been converted to hold clothing on racks for newborns through adults. The mobile clothing closet stops at various locations, including CrossNet Ministries in New Holland and the Honey Brook Food Pantry.

On hand to guide the volunteers was Melissa Werner, director of programs and events for Anchored Ministries. "We throw out anything that has holes or stains that won't come out," she said. "We want people to feel loved and appreciated when they come into the trailers and take stuff. We don't want to give them (items that should be thrown out)."

According to Tina Essick, program chair for Neighbors, the women take part in an annual field trip to help out a community service organization. Volunteers also worked at Anchored Ministries last year. "It's very organized. You put clothing on the right shelf for when they need to restock their trailers," Essick noted.

Werner said that it is very helpful when groups of volunteers or individuals agree to sort clothing. "Each week we are getting more and more donations," she shared. "It would be great to have more groups work as sorters. When (people) have an interest in sorting, they don't have to commit to a set time. If you can stay for an hour or three (hours), every bit helps."

For more information about Anchored Ministries, including volunteer opportunities, visit http://www.facebook.com/AnchoredMinistriesPA or http://www.anchoredministries.org.

As an alternative to volunteering on Feb. 7, members of the Neighbors group had the option to take part in Moms' Day Out. "Mothers (were offered) child care at the church, but were able to leave and go shopping," Essick explained.

The Neighbors group meets from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of the month at the church. Each Neighbors meeting includes refreshments, a time of prayer and a guest speaker. While the women are at the meeting, child care is provided for infants through kindergarten-age children.

All Neighbors programs and child care are offered free of charge, but donations are welcome. When a craft is the focus of the meeting, registration is required, and a nominal fee is charged to cover the cost of supplies.

Conestoga Mennonite Church is located at 2779 Main St., Morgantown. For more information, call the church office at 610-286-9124 or visit http://www.conestogamennonitechurch.org/ministries and scroll down to "Neighbors." The webpage also offers a link to join the Neighbors Facebook group, which is updated regularly with meeting information.