Creating a Welcoming Clothing Closet for Together We Bake
Together We Bake is an Alexandria nonprofit that has been close to my heart for many years. Since 2012, it has supported women with limited resources who are motivated to create brighter futures for themselves and their families. The program offers job training, personal development, and a community of support. Participants earn their ServSafe certification and work with volunteer job counselors as they prepare for employment.
Because finding a job is such an important part of the program, Together We Bake has a clothing closet where participants can find outfits for interviews and work. Our team was thrilled to help reimagine the closet. We wanted it to feel like a boutique—a welcoming place where women could enjoy choosing clothes and feel good about what they found. The challenge was fitting a generous selection into a small space while keeping it calm and easy to browse.
Whenever possible, I try to reuse items rather than buy new. I found three wooden dressers and two wardrobes on Facebook Marketplace, and members of our local Buy Nothing group generously gave us matching black hangers. We also purchased two stronger clothing racks and spinning shoe racks that make use of the room’s vertical space. Phoebe and Callie assembled the new racks, and together our team contributed more than 40 hours to the project.
Toiletries are stored inside the drawers. Scarves and belts are in the baskets.
We began by going through the clothing donations Together We Bake had kindly received. We separated out spring and summer pieces, then organized the remaining clothes by category: blazers, blouses, sweaters, pants, skirts, dresses, and more. We sorted everything by size and worked to make sure there were choices across categories in each size. Our hope was that a participant looking for an interview outfit could find what she needed without having to search through every rack.
The furniture helped us make the most of the room. Wardrobes with closed doors hold clothing without adding to the visual clutter, and the wooden dressers replaced clear plastic drawers that had held toiletries. Swing-arm hangers hold four pairs of pants each, allowing us to offer more options in less space. The spinning shoe racks bring shoes into view while using height that might otherwise have gone unused. Plus, spinning furniture is always fun.
Together We Bake is preparing for its fall coat drive.
We’re grateful for the chance to support an organization that has given so much to women in our community, and we hope the closet feels welcoming to everyone who uses it.
Here’s How You Can Help
One delicious way to support Together We Bake is to order its chocolate chip cookies or granola, made by program participants. Proceeds from product sales support its mission. You can also volunteer as a job counselor, work as a guest baker, or offer another skill that would benefit the women in the program. If you’d prefer to give financially, you can make a donation through Together We Bake’s website. Every form of support helps the organization continue its important work.
