Rochelle Pfeifer felt God gently nudging her back in 2017 to assist the foster children in the Siouxland area. She spent most of 2017 planning and in 2018 launched the Siouxland Foster Closet. Rochelle is the organization’s Board President.
“We provide clothing, necessities, and just-for-fun items at no cost to children in Siouxland impacted by the foster care system. They have been removed from their home, placed with possibly a different family member, foster care, or in a shelter. We want to be there to help them through that temporary transitional period,” explained Rochelle.
The nonprofit’s mission is to show the love of Christ to children placed in the foster care system.
“We do require verification. So, when the children come in, they’ll need to have referral forms from their HHS worker. It’s best to call to make an appointment so that we know they’re coming and can have some things arranged and ready to go for them when they get here, but we have no problem helping those in need with their verification papers that drop-in,” explained Rochelle.
The Siouxland Foster Closet is located at 1918 Geneva Street, at the intersection of 19th and Hamilton Boulevard.
“We’re in the lower level of the old Panera Bread Store that used to be on Hamilton Boulevard and share the parking lot with Tires, Tires, Tires. We are open Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.” shared Rochelle.
Anyone wanting to make donations to the organization may visit during that time. Siouxland Foster Closet’s Facebook Page and their website (www.siouxlandfostercloset.org) are updated monthly with a current needs list. If the item is listed in red, there is a strong need for it.
“I’ve been doing this for eight years now, and I’m still surprised at how often families say they came to their house with nothing. It may be that the children were picked up at school because something had happened at their home while they were at school. It could be a situation where the children simply didn’t have much, or what they did have wasn’t serving their needs. I’ve had toddlers with clothes that were either two sizes too big or too small, but nothing that fit them. Or the children may only have clothes appropriate for warmer weather, not for bitterly cold winters. I’m surprised at how often they truly need a wardrobe,” stated Rochelle.
That is when the Siouxland Foster Closet steps in to assist. They have clothing from preemies all the way to 2X adults. For example, if a girl in foster care were to make an appointment, they would like the 12-year-olds to come in and help pick out their own clothes.
“We want them to try it on and feel good about what they are getting. We want them to love what they’re getting. We don’t want to hand them a pile of clothes we believe will be the correct sizes for them. We’re giving those things to meet their basic needs, but we also want them to feel seen and loved. We want to help reduce some of the trauma they’re going through, especially if this is their first placement. They’re coming to us with nothing to get everything they’ll need; they may not know where they’re going or who they’ll be placed with, and there are just a lot of things going on beyond their control. We try to help the older kids pick out clothes that they’ll love. With the little kids, we’ll play with them and snuggle while the caregivers are picking out things for them. That calm, stress-free environment is a big piece of what we try to do to make it easier on both the children and the caregivers, too,” explained Rochelle.
On a young person’s initial visit, they pick out 10 outfits. That could be 10 pairs of pants and 10 shirts, or 5 pairs of pants and 5 sets of shorts, a swim suit if it is during the summer season, a good pair of tennis shoes, they have sliders available during the summertime for shoes, a winter coat if it is during the winter, a hat, gloves, a hoodie or two if it is from spring to fall.
“We try to talk to them about what they have and what they need: a few pairs of pajamas, new underwear, and new socks. We have books for readers of all ages and toys for the little ones. I always say toys for smaller children are almost as important as clothes; developmentally, they need toys,” said Rochelle.
Toiletries, shampoo, conditioner, hair de-tangler, combs, brushes, there is a multitude of things they walk the children through to meet their basic needs. All of these are new items donated to the closet. No used items in this category are accepted. The same conditions apply to both underwear and socks. Good quality, comfortable, casual clothes all the way up to 2X and 3X in adults are needed at the closet.
“If we can meet their basic needs here and save the caregivers a trip to Walmart or Kohl’s to meet these needs, then the caregivers can relax, breathe, and focus on the child and their emotional needs,” said Rochelle.
Please visit the Siouxland Foster Closet’s Facebook Page and website to learn about donation opportunities and its fundraising events. They will be hosting their third annual clean comedy event in January. Your donations through ticket sales could make a world of difference to the children in the foster system. Tune into the webcast from Stacie and Rochelle to learn more about the Siouxland Foster Closet and the children and families they’ve helped.
By Amy Buster
