Food insecurity isn’t the only basic necessity challenging Westchester County. The Sharing Shelf, a nonprofit clothing bank serving the area, has unveiled new data showing that the need for properly sized, seasonal clothing for children and teenagers has tripled from 2018 to 2023. Here are some of the numbers:
2018 2023
Social-service agencies, schools and other nonprofits served
53 123
Winter coats distributed
702 2294
Wardrobe packs provided (each containing a week’s worth of clothing)
1,809 4,907
Applications for clothing received
1,863 5,579
While Westchester is among the nation’s wealthiest counties, its poverty rate for children under age 5 grew from 9.5% to 11.7% from 2021 to 2022, according to the Westchester Children’s Association, and more than 67,000 children and teens live in poverty or a low-income home.
Studies show that school attendance and academic performance improve in children and teens who wear clean clothing, as appropriate clothing bolsters a child’s or teen’s self-esteem and motivation, a Sharing Shelf spokesperson said. Children and teens who are clothing insecure are also more likely to be bullied by their peers and miss school, so they fall back academically. In the high school years, they are more likely to drop out with lifelong socioeconomic, medical and psychological consequences for them and others.
As young people age into the workforce, proper clothing is essential for making a good first impression at a job interview and, once the job is landed, keeping that position. That’s why this year The Sharing Shelf has launched a Teen Boutique (adjacent to its Port Chester warehouse), where teens in financial need, referred by schools and nonprofits, can select their own clothing at no cost in a private, dignified setting that has the look and feel of a real boutique.
“Clothing insecurity needs to be tackled in conjunction with the better-recognized food insecurity and housing insecurity,” said Deborah Blatt, founder and executive director of The Sharing Shelf. “This data reveals the extent of the challenge in Westchester and the need to address it fully.”
