08/30/2026
Clothed With Compassion Brings Central Texas Community Together to Serve Hundreds
By Lisa Zuniga | Killeen Stake Social Media Specialist
Aug. 29, 2026
KILLEEN, Texas — Before the doors opened for the fourth annual Clothed with Compassion clothing giveaway Saturday morning, people were already waiting outside.
By 6:30 a.m., more than two hours before the scheduled 9 a.m. opening, community members had begun gathering at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Killeen. Over the next five hours, 357 guests received clothing, shoes and other necessities at no cost.
In total, 7,568 gently used items were distributed, along with hundreds of new socks and packages of underwear.
The numbers tell only part of the story. Behind the event were hundreds of hours of service from youth, adults, Church members and volunteers from other faith communities who came together to meet a growing need in Central Texas.
Clothed with Compassion is an annual service project organized by the Killeen Texas Stake Relief Society. This year, volunteers contributed 788 hours of service to make the event possible.
During the Thursday and Friday preparation days, 127 volunteers contributed 331 hours, receiving, sorting, folding and organizing donated clothing. An additional 58 volunteers contributed 58 hours sorting and delivering donations. On Saturday, 83 volunteers contributed 232 hours serving guests during the giveaway.
The Killeen Texas Stake Relief Society presidency contributed an additional 167 hours organizing and preparing for the event.
The growing turnout demonstrated the continuing need in communities throughout Central Texas and the impact that can come when individuals, congregations and community organizations work together to respond.
For many volunteers, the experience became more than simply sorting and distributing clothes.
“It never ceases to amaze me,” said Isabelle Martin, an 18-year-old volunteer from the Copperas Cove 1st Ward, “to just see their cup be filled—and it fills my cup.”
Martin said she has been able to serve each of the four years the event has been in existence and mentioned that her service has helped her understand how she can share her testimony of Christ.
“God loves us all, and serving others in this way is kind of a way I can share my testimony through actions, rather than words,” she said.
Other youth volunteers expressed similar feelings.
Isaac Coleman, 15, from the Copperas Cove 1st Ward, said one of his favorite parts of volunteering was carrying bags to people’s vehicles and seeing their smiles.
Austin Barber, 17, from the Copperas Cove 2nd Ward, said he enjoyed “seeing everyone smile and helping them get the clothes they need.”
For 13-year-old Beckett Martin, the event demonstrated how a simple donation can make a meaningful difference for families preparing for a new school year.
“It’s a really cool experience because it gets to help people when they can’t afford new clothes,” he said. “It blesses a lot of people.”
The service also brought together volunteers from different faith traditions.
Jesse Thornton, a retired Presbyterian pastor from Lampasas, volunteered after learning about the project through relationships formed through local ministerial and interfaith efforts.
“To me, this is what we do, that we take care of people,” Thornton said, “whether it’s food, clothes, or simple acts of love. That’s the best way to put it, for me. And I’m glad to be part of this.”
The event also included a special appreciation brunch before the giveaway, bringing representatives from five local organizations together with organizers and volunteers. Representatives from Families In Crisis, Inc., Killeen Independent School District Clothes Closet, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Temple, TX, the Killeen Police Department and the TDCJ - Christina M. Crain Unit shared information about their organizations, the communities they serve, and their current needs.
Each organization received large boxes of donated clothing and other items intended to support their ongoing work.
Rachel Felkner, First Counselor in the Killeen Texas Stake Relief Society and one of the organizers of Clothed with Compassion, said the goal extends beyond distributing clothing.
“We want to provide clothing, shoes, new socks and underwear to families and persons that are in need,” Felkner said in an interview following a previous Clothed with Compassion event. “And really getting everybody involved and serving and providing that love and outreach to those people.”
The event’s name comes from the desire to follow the example of Jesus Christ in serving those in need. Felkner referenced the Savior’s teaching in Matthew 25 in which He taught that caring for those in need is also an act of service to Him.
“When we are reaching out to anybody in need … we are doing what the Savior would do, and we’re serving our Savior, Jesus Christ,” she said.
That principle was evident throughout Saturday’s event.
For Terry Gottberg, a Killeen resident who has attended the giveaway all four years, the event demonstrates how giving and receiving can bless everyone involved.
“It gives us a chance to be able to help out other people with stuff that we’re not using, but then we get to come and benefit from what other people have donated,” Gottberg said. “And so it just blesses everybody all around.”
Fourteen-year-old Nony Pier of Killeen attended the event as a recipient and enthusiastically said she was grateful for the opportunity to find clothing for school.
“They had everything for women, girls, men,” Pier said. “I got a lot of clothes for school. I feel like this was a good experience, and I would love to come back next year.”
The clothing went more quickly this year than in any previous year, organizers said, underscoring the continued need for community support.
As Clothed with Compassion continues to grow, organizers hope the project will become an even broader community collaboration, strengthening relationships among congregations, nonprofit organizations and other groups serving Central Texas.
For those involved, the event is ultimately about more than clothing.
It is an opportunity to see a community come together, to recognize the needs of neighbors, and to put faith into action — one bag of clothing, one helping hand, and one act of compassion at a time.
