The Sharing Shelf in Port Chester, the nonprofit clothing bank serving children and teens in need in Westchester County, recently revealed that demand for clothing grew 43.5% in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year. The clothing bank served 4,324 children and teens in the first half of 2025, compared to 3,014 in the first half of 2024. To date, The Sharing Shelf has already distributed 157,000 diapers.
In June 2025, The Sharing Shelf received the second-highest number of requests in a single month – 738 – a staggering 78% increase compared to the 414 requests received in June 2024. In past years, summer was a quieter period for the Clothing Bank, with requests for clothing dipping.
As a result, the need for volunteers on whom The Sharing Shelf depends to fill those requests grew. In the first half of 2025, The Sharing Shelf had to fill 1,625 individual volunteer slots, compared to 1,042 individual volunteer slots in the first half of 2024, an increase of 60%.
“This data provides critical warning signs – in real time – of growing clothing insecurity in Westchester,” said Deborah Blatt, founder and executive director of The Sharing Shelf. “These numbers send alarm bells about the state of childhood poverty. Westchester is a community of great wealth, yet we are seeing serious stresses. Poverty is typically gauged by census data, which has a significant lag time. This data is in real time and should inform policymakers in the county and statewide.”
The Sharing Shelf is a nonprofit clothing bank serving Westchester County. Founded in 2009, it operates a warehouse in Port Chester, where new and gently used clothes are collected, volunteers screen the clothes for quality, and the clothes are distributed for free to low-income children and teens through social-service agencies, schools and other nonprofits. The Sharing Shelf also opened in 2024 (adjacent to the warehouse) a Teen Boutique, where teens in financial need, referred by schools and nonprofit organizations, can select their own clothing at no cost in a private and dignified setting that has the look and feel of a real boutique. In every case, the ultimate recipient is a child or teen in need – from newborn to age 19. The clothing is both age- and season-appropriate, fits properly, and boosts the individual’s esteem and confidence.
