By Tigerlily King, Coarsegold 4-H Reporter
COARSEGOLD — The Coarsegold 4-H Club is hosting the 7th annual Mountain Area Community Clothing Swap this month. Come join us! Bring clean, gently-used clothing, shoes, jackets, or coats to swap or give away. All sizes are welcome. Please ensure that all items are in usable condition and that nothing is dirty or damaged. This year, the clothing drive will occur at the Oakhurst Tractor Supply. It will be on Saturday, August 19th, from 10 am to 3 pm. This is a completely free event, and even if you do not have clothing to swap, you are free to come and take whatever you need.
Here’s how it will work: come to the event, and if you have some pre-loved clothes to donate, drop them off at the receiving table so they can be sorted. Then, grab a bag and look for some clothing you’d like to bring home for free!
The Clothing Swap, organized yearly by Coarsegold 4-H members, has seen amazing growth. It was started by Karl Hussey seven years ago, and when Kiki King got on board as the Community Service project leader in 2019, Hussey handed the reins to King. Through thick and thin, Coarsegold 4-H has made the swap possible. Reusing clothes benefits not just the people of the community but the environment as well. Rather than being put to waste, unwanted clothing is reclaimed. Even the Covid-19 pandemic did not stop the occurrence of the swap; in 2020, Coarsegold 4-H organized the Clothing Swap to be an outdoor event that minimized any chance of the virus being spread. Of course, Coarsegold 4-H could not have been so successful in its endeavors without community members. Each year, the amount of clothing donations has increased, and additionally, the club is thankful to those who make building space available for the event to take place.
The Clothing Swap has grown tremendously over the past seven years. It is heartwarming to see members of the community come together to donate clothes and have the opportunity to get new clothing at zero cost!
