Photo: Ryan Aréstegui/Stock.xchng
Lindsay Giambattista founded Taylor’s Closet in 2005 when she was just 15 years old. She had been praying for some sort of way to give back, where she could play a part, one that might use the unique gifts and talents she’d been given. Among those gifts were smarts—she was an A-student —and skills as an experienced shopper with a love for fashion. And what she most desired in her heart was to somehow give the love of God to un-loved children.
After much prayer, she simply started giving her own clothes away to girls in need. But soon, the passionate idea bloomed into Taylor’s Closet. Lindsay credits God with the idea and name of the project, which is named after Lindsay’s twin sister who died at birth.
At Taylor’s Closet, girls don’t have to rummage through piles of hand-me-downs. The store-like environment, with carefully designed racks and orderly displays, caters to girls in foster care and allows them to come in and shop for whatever clothes they like, free of charge. The items are the best new brands, cool and trendy styles that young women appreciate. Each girl who visits can hand pick 6 items to take with her.
Taylor’s Closet has had clothing donations from all over the world. In December of 2006, several local businesses in Fort Lauderdale, Florida paid the bill for erecting the first permanent store for foster girls in North Lauderdale.
Since then, God has continued to bless Lindsay’s ministry, and she hopes to have a Taylor’s Closet in every state some day, demonstrating to foster girls all across the nation the love that God has for them.
Taylors Closet is a nonprofit organization entirely run by volunteers. To find out more about how you can help, donate ,or even open your own store to help foster girls, visit www.taylorscloset.org
The Mission of Taylor’s Closet:
To bring the love of Jesus to girls in need, throughout this country and the world, by providing places for them to shop for clothes – for free.
To build a worldwide community of people and companies who will give of themselves in order to care for girls in need.
To create a network of ìstoresî where these girls can come in and feel safe, where they can feel special, and where they can encounter the love of Jesus in that place.
To facilitate and empower these “stores” so that they can focus on their primary mission, which is to love on, and minister to, every girl who comes there.
We believe that Jesus has a love and a divine purpose for girls in foster care and girls in need in general.
We believe God has called us to use shopping as a vehicle to bring them into contact with Him.
We believe that every city where foster kids live is an ideal place to demonstrate God’s deep love for them through Taylor’s Closet.
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