December 03, 2003

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Palo Alto Online

Clothes encounters

by Rachel Metz

The old trailer next to Jordan Middle School doesn't look like a charitable haven, but for school district families in need, this building -- the PTA Wardrobe -- offers a helping hand throughout the year.

The Wardrobe has been a school district fixture since 1934, when it was founded by Barron Park resident Agnes Wedde. By 1940, the Wardrobe was an important PTA Council program.

Throughout the years, the Wardrobe has moved around the district -- from its original site in what is now downtown Palo Alto to its current home in the Middlefield Road parking lot of Jordan Middle School.

These days, the Wardrobe doles out free clothes and rents donated ski clothes to pay for any costs incurred. The Wardrobe stocks clothing and other usable items for infants, children and adults. The PTA also provides clean, new socks and underwear.

"(The Wardrobe) is to make sure that families in need have a place they can go sort of anonymously and get clothes," PTA Council President Kate Hill said.

It's not the cheeriest or neatest place -- cold and an old-clothing smell permeated the trailer on a recent Monday afternoon while new clothing donations spilled out of bags in the middle of the floor. Still, it's full of items that can -- and do -- help locals take care of their families.

Coats, shoes, shirts and more lined shelves around the room, some on hangers and others in precarious stacks on shelves. A cadre of ties in assorted colors hung on the side of a metal bookshelf. In a back room more donations waited to be sorted, including a particularly dated navy blue prom dress of stretch lace and poufy taffeta.

Maria Cowan, the Wardrobe's sole staff member, has seen lots of people come and go over the years.

One family, she said, came from South America "and they had next to nothing." Six months after their trip to the Wardrobe, both parents had jobs and showed up with donations of their own.

"Those people, you sort of remember them," she said.

Such stories strike a personal note for Cowan; she received Wardrobe clothing herself about eight years ago and later volunteered at the service to give something back. Many who come to the Wardrobe echo her situation -- women who need to clothe their children.

But while those in need come and help themselves, there are still many locals who eschew such help because they're too proud to be seen, Cowan said. And some who do come inside aren't always comfortable, she said.

"One lady, she was holding clothes and as soon as some people came in she dropped them," Cowan said.

She does what she can to make visitors feel more comfortable by acting friendly, not asking questions, and putting aside toy donations so visiting kids can play while their parents shop.

Socks are in demand, Cowan said, as are shoes and, in the winter months, warm clothes. Popular donation items include jeans, T-shirts and sweats, Wardrobe chair Susan Voll said.

During the academic year, Palo Alto public schools keep new Wardrobe donations rolling in by holding clothing drives. Walter Hays Elementary School runs this month, Terman Middle School and Juana Briones Elementary School will hold one in January and Fairmeadow Elementary School is set for February.

The Wardrobe accepts on-site donations, but it's easier for families to contribute to the school clothing drives, Voll said. Other donations trickle in via schools' lost and founds.

While most donations land on Wardrobe shelves, some are in such poor shape they're relegated to a Dumpster.

"Sometimes there's stuff that's pretty ratty," Voll said.

For anyone interested in giving to the Wardrobe, Voll has sage advice.

"Clean, gently used clothing is what we're looking for," she said.

-- Rachel Metz can be e-mailed at rmetz@paweekly.com The PTA Wardrobe is located at Jordan Middle School, 2263 Middlefield Road. It is open 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, closed during school district holidays. For more information call 858-0654.

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