Help teens by donating formal dresses
Matt McLaughlin of Community Pathways of Steele County displays some of the dresses that will be available for area teenagers for the upcoming prom season. He is hoping people will donate more formal dresses over the next month. Staff photo by Rick Bussler
It’s time to come out of the closet with formal wear to help area teenagers enjoy their upcoming proms.
Unique Finds, a division of Community Pathways of Steele County, has launched its annual Prom Drive, an initiative to get prom dresses into the hands of teenagers who may not be able to afford buying them elsewhere.
With about 125 currently on hand, Unique Finds is hoping to increase its supply to 225 by March 16, according to Matt McLaughlin, coordinator of Unique Finds. He encourages people to dig into their closets and donate the prom dresses to Unique Finds, which is located at 155 Oakdale St., Owatonna.
“We’ll take any dress that’s in good condition,” McLaughlin said, noting they prefer that they are clean. “We want families to feel they are having a regular shopping experience with us,” he added.
The formal dresses will be distributed during an open house on Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Unique Finds. The store will be open that day for anyone who needs a prom dress. McLaughlin said the dresses will be available for no charge during the open house. After the event, Unique Finds will charge $10 for each dress.
McLaughlin points out that the dresses initially cost anywhere from $200 to $600 each, and most of them have only been worn one time.
This is the third year Unique Finds has sponsored the Prom Drive. McLaughlin said the campaign has proven to be very successful over the past two years.
“It’s unbelievable the amount of support we get from the community,” he said, noting 150 dresses were distributed in the first year. “There is nothing else like this around. It’s an important piece to have affordable dresses.”
Prom, McLaughlin said, is one of those events he doesn’t want any teenager to miss. And he certainly doesn’t want lack of formal wear to get in the way. “It’s important for teenagers to experience such a core event,” he said.
Unique Finds offers clothing year-round. Last year, more than 2,500 individual families utilized the store for clothing. McLaughlin said they average serving 980 families each month. “We distribute lots of clothing,” he said.
Formal dresses, as well as any other clothing, may be donated on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Tuesdays from 5-7:30 p.m. and Fridays 9 a.m.-3 p.m.