Clothing bank helps make prom special for local kids

The Plains Community Clothing Bank is used to helping to clothe those in need, but putting teenagers in fancy duds is special, according to Jessica Peterson, the main coordinator of "Prom It Forward" at the Assembly of God Church.

A dozen high school kids from freshmen to seniors had the opportunity to pick out an entire prom outfit, thanks to the Plains Community Clothing Bank, which is housed at the Church on the Move in Plains.

The kids had a wide assortment of clothes from head to toe to select from and to use for the school prom and it didn't cost them a cent. "This is very special for the kids. A lot of families can't afford to go out and buy prom clothes and they can be expensive," said Peterson, who has been coordinating the event for the last five years. She said that girls' gowns can run into the hundreds of dollars. Some of the dresses still had price tags attached. Peterson said they now have more than 250 dresses and over 60 pairs of girls' shoes.

A tuxedo rental averaged between $150 to $200, but none of the boys picked the one tuxedo they had on hand. Peterson said they still need more suits for smaller boys and more boys' shoes.

This year, Peterson had help from Judy Subatch, Jill Ignaszewski, Ginny Petras, Koliss Carr, all of Plains, and Phillip Marquez of Charlo, who checked in the students at the door. The others helped the students pick out and try on clothes. Subatch ironed clothes that were a little wrinkled. The clothing bank has been collecting the prom clothes since they began the program and now have more than a thousand pieces - shoes, shirts, trousers, ties, formal wear dresses, jewelry, clutches, and hats. They even have fancy gloves and undergarments for girls. Peterson said it's been growing every year. It took volunteers from the clothing bank and the church four days to set up the racks of apparel in a large room of the church basement last week.

On Saturday, 11 boys and four girls - all from Plains - participated in the program so they could attend their proms. A girl from Thompson Falls selected a gown days earlier. The program was mostly by appointment to ensure volunteers would have time to assist the kids, but Peterson said there were three walk-ins on Saturday and they stayed open until about 6:30 p.m. This was the first time that boys outnumbered the girls, but all of them left with outfits for their special night. Peterson said Prom It Forward is special for both the prom kids and their parents. It's even more important for girls, who oftentimes purchase a prom dress that is worn only once.

The Plains High School prom is scheduled for April 11. Thompson Falls had its prom on March 4. Hot Springs is slated for April 1 and Noxon's will take place on March 18. This was the first year that Prom It Forward was open to schools of Mineral County, though no kids have participated yet, said Peterson.

"They were all happy with what they got. The parents were happy with what we did," said Peterson, who also celebrated her 55th birthday Saturday. Most of the kids took entire outfits, but some needed only parts. Freshman Kylan Bostick, 14, found a suit that matched his own shirt. It was Bostick's first prom. It was also the first prom for 18-year-old Montana Killgore, a senior, who quickly found a suit for the school occasion.

"We really enjoy doing this. We have the ability to do it and it's amazing," said Peterson. She said that one girl said she felt like a princess, although she tried on 20 dresses to get there. Petras said the girls averaged three outfits before selecting one. "With the guys, it's one and done; that meets the criteria," she said. "But the girls like to play dress up, so it takes them longer," said Petras, who helped some of the boys correctly tie their ties. "It's fun dressing them in beautiful clothes," said Peterson, who also volunteered to do any needed hemming, as she has done in the past.

Peterson said the donation of clothes has been tremendous. Most of the clothes were used, but some people bought new clothes to donate. Peterson estimated that about 15% of the clothes are new. Carr donated several dresses, including 14 on Saturday. Fifteen-year-old Trystan Larsen tried on five dresses, but went with her first selection, one that Carr donated.

Peterson started the program in 2018 in the old clothing bank facility and just put a few prom type clothes aside. She didn't want to have kids miss prom because they couldn't afford proper clothes. She said it was a way to give back to the community and help kids look nice for a big occasion. The kids need to have the clothes back a week after prom and the clothing bank pays for them to be cleaned. They serviced 12 kids last year, three times the number from the previous year.

Once the prom loan passes, the clothes all go back into storage for next time. Ignaszewski suggested they do the program earlier next year before some of the girls buy their prom gowns. It's something they may do, said Peterson. Though they had the event for only one day, Peterson said they'll keep the clothes out for another week in case someone calls and needs something.

Prom It Forward went well once again, said Peterson. "It's nice seeing the transformation of the kids when they find something they like," said Peterson. " They just light up, the boys, too," she added.