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Kidz Closet enters third season

Colin Gibson Abington Journal Correspondent

For Georgette Stancavage, nothing is more rewarding than giving back to her community.

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Members of the Katie Kelly third grade class help Georgette Stancavage with all the clothes collected at the Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center for the Kidz Closet. LTEC school nurse Maureen Mahoney worked closely with Stancavage throughout this collection.

Abington Journal/Alice Stuffle

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Georgette Stancavage, left, accepts clothing from Waverly Elementary School first grade class students Kalei Carpenter, Harrison Fedor and their teacher Sara Kasper.

Abington Journal Photo/ Don McGlynn

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Since the floods of 2005, Stancavage has been doing what she can to help those in need in her community. She became the founder, director and coordinator of Kidz Closet, an idea Stancavage thought would help people start to rebuild their lives after the floods.

The idea is to collect clothes from anyone who is willing to donate them, and give them to those in need, free of charge. The collected clothes are for children of all ages, from infants to teenagers. Kidz Closet provides fall and winter clothes for “struggling families with children”.

Our Lady of Peace, Waverly Elementary School, Abington Heights High School, Keystone College Children’s Center, Bright Beginnings Preschool in Dalton, UTA Karate School in Dalton and Lackawanna Trail Elementary School were some of the schools and churches to donate to the cause.

Maureen Mahoney, the school nurse at Lackawanna Trail Elementary, has organized the collection of clothes at the school and has been a huge help, said Stancavage. Kristen Arcangelo, a senior at Abington Heights High School, decided to help by collecting collared shirts. The Servants of Divine Mercy at St. Patrick’s in Nicholson made hats and scarves to donate to the cause. Wal-Mart in Tunkhannock also donated a gift certificate.

People were asked to bring clothes to their churches and schools. Once all of the clothes are collected, a team of 10 women, headed by Stancavage, wash, fold and sort all of the donated clothes. The clothes are then set out “like a shopping mall” at Our Lady of the Abingtons Parish Hall in Dalton. Refreshments are donated by Discount Food and Products, located in Montdale.

“The team works so hard because it directly helps your neighbors,” Stancavage said. “It’s not a religious issue, it’s not a political issue, it’s a human issue. Helping neighbors create a strong community.”

Stancavage and her team have a budget of $50, which is usually spent on advertising for the event. Last year, Stancavage and her team collected thousands of donations in less than a week. When everything was said and done, there were only six bags of donated clothes left over.

People from Scranton and the surrounding areas came to Our Lady of the Abingtons Parish Hall to participate. Some people even came from Binghamton to take part in the event. According to Stancavage, Rev. Jack Kilpatrick has always been more than willing to host Kidz Closet.

Kidz Closet, now in its third season, will take place on Friday, Nov. 14, from noon until 5 p.m. Kidz Closet will also be going on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 563-1622. All families are welcome.

“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Stancavage said. “It’s snowballed into something fabulous.”