Local residents of all sorts benefit from the clothing, accessories and other various items sold at a discount by the Social Service League.
| 2018 Q3 | story by Julie Dunlap | photos by Steven Hertzog
Eleanor Dunlap puts together an outfit of clothes she finds at the Social Service League store
It’s a common love story: One finds a pair of pants with the perfect fit. The pants move in, and the two live together happily, often for many years before things change.
Then seasons change. Jobs change. Waistlines change. And, with one final sigh, the two break up, each in search of another perfect fit.
Lawrence has a number of different options where people can send their gently used clothes for all ages and sizes. Many choose to resell their items themselves at garage sales, online or through retail stores, such as longtime Lawrence staple Arizona Trading Co., at 736 Massachusetts St., or any of the other resale stores serving the area.
These options all offer instant payment during the transaction as well as opportunities for shoppers to purchase clothing at a fraction of the original retail price. But, for those who wish to impact the clothing choices for the Lawrence community through nonprofit organizations, Lawrence’s oldest charity, the Social Service League, at 905 Rhode Island St., might be the perfect fit.
Established immediately after Quantrill’s Raid, in August 1863, by the surviving townspeople concerned about their fellow citizens’ well-being and the town’s sustainability, the Social Service League has a 155-year-old mission of promoting the social welfare of Douglas County by cooperating with local charities in aiding the needy.
General manager Lisa Purdon says she is honored to carry on the century-and-a-half-old tradition of what she sums up as, “trying to get our neighbors back on their feet.”
The retail store, comprised entirely of donated items, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. In addition to providing shoppers with low-priced, high-quality clothing, accessories and household items, the Social Service League has partnered with more than 20 nonprofit organizations in Lawrence to provide free items to those in need.
Eleanor Dunlap offering fashion tips
Clients from organizations such as Bert Nash, USD 497, Family Promise, the Lawrence Community Shelter and many more can request vouchers for men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, or for household items such as small appliances, bedding, towels, dishware and more needed to complete a home.
Megan Stuke, executive director of Willow Domestic Violence Center (WDVC), appreciates the assistance organizations such as the Social Service League provide. “Being the clearinghouse is hard. In-kind donations are so helpful to those who have needs, but they can be a huge burden to nonprofits,” she explains. “Our storage closet is too small for the volume (of items) our clients need.”
WDVC partners primarily with Social Service League and Penn House at Ballard Center to help clients fill the often-immediate need for clothing and supplies. “When I started (two years ago), we saw six or seven vouchers per day; but now, we are up to 17 per day,” says Purdon, citing increased awareness and efficiency in the voucher process over a spike in need as the more likely cause for the shift in numbers.
“An entire family can get everything they need at the Social Service League,” says Erika, shopping with her 7-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter with vouchers from one of the two dozen organizations Social Service League assists. “I could not have survived without it,” she adds.
Erika’s teenage daughter, Brooke, agrees, lighting up as she describes the store. “Everything in here is unique, and it’s different every time I come,” she exclaims.
“Lisa [Purdon] is always so welcoming,” Erika says of her experiences. “My first trip in here, she helped me find bedding for my kids and an entire mix-and-match wardrobe for me so I could keep working even when I was in transition.”
Even with the increase in free services, the store has maintained its self-sufficiency, receiving funding from nonvoucher retail sales and supplemental private funding. The service-oriented organization has been able to sustain itself without grants, allowing grant money to be distributed to other groups in need.
A favorite way to raise funds outside of regular store hours is by participating in Final Fridays events in the city. This September, Purdon plans an installment of political memorabilia from the past decades, including a pair of George H.W. and Barbara Bush bedroom slippers from the White House gift shop. She hopes this will be a fun, peaceful and profitable way for Lawrencians of all political persuasions to remember times gone by and help finance the operations of the Social Service League.
One of the many unique features of the regular inventory is a boutique area filled with high-value designer and vintage items. Sales from this specialized area are key to keeping the store self-sustained. Occasionally, items may come in that could garner a higher profit from an online auction site, but Purdon strongly prefers to keep all items in the Lawrence community, even if it means bringing in a lower price.
“The deals here are phenomenal,” Purdon says with a smile. “We had a donation of Asiatica clothing (a high-end designer out of Kansas City) with price tags still on,” she explains. “Pieces that would retail for $750 or $1000, we were able to sell for $50.”
“I found three outfits for job interviews,” says college senior Eleanor Dunlap, “and they totaled less than $50.”
Donations can be made during retail hours, and items are placed on the sales floor continually throughout the day. Donors range from local retailers such as Arizona Trading Co. to nonprofits such as 100 Good Women to individuals, including people who relied on the Social Service League in the past and want to pay the gratitude forward by donating now.
“It’s a beautiful, beautiful, crazy avalanche,” Purdon says of the flow of items that comes through the donation center. “We edit it, organize it and color-sort it,” she explains of the process.
The Social Service League only employs two people and has a dedicated team of volunteers who work to make sure the store is clean and items on the floor work and are well-organized. A volunteer board oversees the operations.
Each passing hour on the retail floor brings in a new story, whether it be collectors looking for vintage clothing or household decorations, or a parent who has fled an abusive situation with his or her children and is looking for new clothes and household supplies to support the new start he or she seeks. In every case, Purdon combines her passion for helping others and gift for making everyone feel wanted, and welcomes them with her love of the art and history in the store’s many collectibles—making her a true “retail therapist.”
The Social Service League accepts in-season clothing that is clean and in excellent condition, as well as shoes and accessories. Purdon recommends that before donating, donors ask themselves if they are giving away items they would feel comfortable giving to friends and family to wear. If the answer is “No,” then the clothing probably belongs with an organization that has the means to reuse and recycle the pieces, such as Goodwill.
WDVC’s Stuke agrees, adding that if an item is too stained, damaged or out of date for the donor to wear, the recipient will not want to wear it, either. She emphasizes that every person is worthy of the same standard.
The store also takes household items in good working condition, clean linens, toys and more. It is not able to accept broken or stained items, medical equipment, VCR tapes or outdated baby and child-care items.
For more information, visit the Social Service League’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/socialserviceleague, or call (785) 843-5414.
In addition to the retail store, the Social Service League sponsors a Formal Dress Giveaway (formerly the Prom Dress Drive) each November for area students to receive free dresses for school dances and other special occasions. Details will be released soon, but the event typically occurs at the Lawrence Public Library, with the first several hours reserved for area middle- and high-school students with student IDs to try on the assortment of dresses and select one free of charge. Students also will receive a voucher good at the retail location for accessories. After the student shopping hours end, the store is open to the public, and all remaining items are available for sale for a nominal price (in the past for just $5).
With the retail cost of new prom and other formal dresses often soaring well over $100, the opportunity to have a dress for $5 or less means all area students are able to comfortably and confidently participate in traditional, once-in-a-lifetime school social functions.
Corey and Andy Wheeler of Salvation Army
Salvation Army of Douglas County
The Salvation Army of Douglas County also has provided support to the community’s clothing and accessory needs both on its own and through the network of area nonprofits. It partners with the Social Service League, in part, to provide eyeglasses for children and adults in the community throughout the year, with Topeka-based Scotch Cleaners to provide winter coats for the community and Payless ShoeSource to provide shoes and backpacks for area school children each fall.
Lt. Corey Wheeler and her husband, Lt. Andy Wheeler, have been with the Salvation Army for the past 22 years, serving Lawrence for the past year. “We set up Project Warmth just like a retail store,” Corey explains. Scotch Cleaners collects the coats in October, cleans them all in November and distributes them to Salvation Army locations in Lawrence and Topeka, as needed, throughout the duration of the project, typically late November through Dec. 22. Scotch advertises the drive, and two Salvation Army volunteers coordinate a team of volunteers from Dillon’s and Hallmark to organize the seasonal shop.
“Last year, we gave out over 400 coats,” she smiles. “We tracked the families to make sure everyone received coats,” she says, adding that all coats not distributed go to the thrift store for purchase year-round. “The faces on some of these kids, faces that are receiving coats from a facility set up like an actual store—how excited they are to get a new coat.” The store also provides mittens, gloves, scarves and hats to clients to complete the winter set.
The backpack and shoe drive each fall provides sneakers, backpacks and school supplies to kids in grades K through 12, with $10,000 worth of new shoes purchased locally thanks to the generosity of the local Rotary Club and $13,000 worth of backpacks and supplies provided with national partners each fall. There is no cap on those donations, with roughly 500 kids being served, including clients from WDVC.
“We have to support each other,” Purdon says of the network of nonprofits in Lawrence that work together to identify and fill the needs of the community.