Keynote speaker Joe Meyer, executive director and CEO Shelter House, Inc. at The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area, Inc.'s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
The longevity of The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area, Inc., is a testament to its positive impact on the community. On Oct. 23, The Closet, a faith-based volunteer-driven nonprofit charitable organization, celebrated its 50th anniversary at the parish hall of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Herndon. The evening centered around the theme of kindness, a reminder that even the smallest acts can create ripples of positive change. As Joe Meyer, keynote speaker, executive director, and CEO of Shelter House, Inc., said, "Kindness goes a long way."
The Closet has evolved since 1974. It collaborates with 20 participating congregations to operate a thrift shop, selling a range of items it accepts as donations and resells household items, electronics, sporting goods, books, toys, videos, musical instruments, clothing and more and then donates its net revenue to various charities and award scholarships to high schools that select the recipients.
Additionally, The Closet provides clothing and household goods at no cost to families and individuals in need referred by local service organizations in Fairfax and Loudoun counties and sends many items to communities in the western part of the Commonwealth.
"Celebrating 50 years of compassion and service, as a collective, we stand proud in the mission to provide not just clothing but hope and opportunity,” Tempestt Ware Harmon, store manager, said. “Together, we are working to weave a tapestry of support, empowering lives and transforming the community — one outfit, one meal, one scholarship, and one grant at a time.”
The Closet's 2023 Tax Form 990 shows it paid $206,750 in 2023 in 34 cash grants to charitable organizations ranging from $10,000 to $1,000, investing in local nonprofit organizations that make a difference in the community. Among The Closet's recipients in 2023 are Britepaths, Fairfax; First Baptist Refuge Mission, Herndon; Kids Power, Oakton; All Ages Read Together, Herndon; and Shepherd Center of NOVA, Vienna.
Under The Closet's revised school program criteria (2021), The Closet determined six public high schools would receive the scholarship funds, investing in education to empower community members from these schools: Herndon, Mountain View, South Lakes, and Westfield in Fairfax County, and Dominion and Park View in Loudoun County.
The Closet came about early in 1973 when women from two local churches, Trinity Presbyterian and St. Timothy's Episcopal, suggested a community-wide clothing closet would be more helpful to those in need than multiple churches with individual closets.
Established in October 1974 and a tax-exempt 501(c) 3 since May 1978, The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area, Inc. initially occupied various storefronts before settling in a building the organization purchased in 1999 at 841-845 Station Street.
Fifty years after its founding, The Closet employs 18 full-time and part-time staff members, provides health insurance coverage to its employees, and has a 401(k) profit-sharing plan. In 2023, The Closet's revenue from contributions and grants totaled $1.206,948. Expenses totaled $1,195.436: $206,750 for grants and similar amounts paid and salaries and other compensation; $718,166 for salaries, other compensation, and employee benefits; and $270,520 for other expenses. [Source: Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax Form 990 2024, TIN: 54:1027799]
The Closet provides cash grants and scholarships and a weekly, sometimes twice weekly, "Truck Ministry," delivering free goods to Shenandoah Valley communities. In 2018, for four weeks, staff tracked and estimated the value of $35,000 a week, or $455,000 for the year, according to the 50th anniversary program.
The Closets' funding accomplishments are tremendous in themselves, but so too is by raising funds through thrifting, consumers minimize fast fashion and overspending on goods and reducing environmental impacts. On June 22, The Closet held its Summer 2024 Fashion Show, featuring members of the public modeling clothes they purchased at The Closet.
What is next for The Closet? “The Closet will not forget why we were created by those caring and concerned women of faith over 50 years ago — to help those in need,” Gene Wiley, president of The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area, Inc., said.
The Closet is located at 845 Station Street, Herndon and is closed on Sundays. Visit its website for hours of operation and more information at https://www.theclosetofgreaterherndon.org/.
Highlights The Closet Thrift Shop 2024-1973
2022: Total sales by The Closet equal $1,163,588, setting a new record.
2021: Purchase of a new Ford-f550 box truck to enhance the Truck Ministry operational efficiency.
2020: The Closet shuts down for 10 weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the staff remains on paid status, benefits remain in place, and accounts are maintained.
2019: The Closet Board adopts the following as its mission statement: "The Closet is a faith-based, volunteer-driven organization that impacts lives through its non-profit thrift shop."
2015: Capital budget added.
2011: The board updates long-range planning efforts.
2008: The newly created Finance Committee prepares the first-ever budget.
1999: The Closet purchases 841-845 Station Street, formerly Perfection Automotive, for $900,000.
1991: The Closet donates $1,000 to FISH to start a used furniture store and approves benevolence donations to member organizations that supply volunteers.
1976: The first paid manager is named.
1974: Volunteers operate The Closet, a thrift shop.
1973: Women from St. Timothy's Episcopal and Trinity Presbyterian meet and discuss a community-wide clothing store.