On November 10, 2017, I completed my first service project when I delivered clothing donations to Neighbors, Inc. This non-profit, social service agency is located in South St. Paul, MN. They provide emergency assistance and supportive assistance programs to low-income community members in the northern Dakota County communities of Inver Grove Heights, South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Mendota, Sunfish Lake, and Lilydale. The Neighbors Clothes Closet (which is a part of Neighbors, Inc.) is a non-profit, second-hand store that offers clothing, as well as other items, at low prices. They help families save money while “re-purposing” previously used items. This re-purposing also helps the environment. Donations are both provided to their clients and sold to the public, and the money raised is used to support Neighbors’ programs. All proceeds are used locally.

For this project, I created a flyer which was delivered by hand and by email to family, friends, and neighbors requesting clothing donations. The donations were dropped off at my home and picked up from donors. The drive ran from October 23rd to November 5th. Due to the generosity of so many people, the drive was very successful. A total of 56 boxes and large bags (553 pounds of clothing) were collected! My mom and dad helped me deliver the items.

I met with Ms. Yudihana (Yudi) Montes who, along with Darcy, Dylan, Mandy, and Sara, accepted the items on behalf of Neighbors. They were very excited, gracious, and thankful to receive the donations!

I would like to thank everyone who so generously donated to this clothing drive, my mom and dad for their assistance, and the Miss Inver Grove Heights Royalty/Scholarship Program for allowing me this opportunity.

Felicia

2018 Miss Inver Grove Heights Princess