The Neighbor’s Closet

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

We’re going mobile today! 💚💙

The Neighbor’s Closet will be at Pendora Park, Reading PA from 10 AM–12 PM with FREE clothing for men, women, and children, and shoes.

Come out, find what you need, and help us spread the word to our neighbors!

Clothing • Dignity • Choice

¡Hoy salimos con nuestro clóset móvil! 💚💙

The Neighbor’s Closet estará en Pendora Park de 10:00 AM a 12:00 PM con ropa GRATIS para hombres, mujeres y niños, además de zapatos y mucho más.

¡Ven, encuentra lo que necesites y ayúdanos a compartir esta información con nuestros vecinos!

Pretzel City Parish, Reading PAChrist Lutheran Church Reading PA - Reading Lutheran ParishBethany Lutheran Church West ReadingHope Lutheran ChurchNativity Lutheran Church ReadingZion Spies EV Lutheran Church Reading, PASt. Paul Lutheran Church, Reading

09/18/2026

What a blessing this has been. 💙💚

Since sharing what happened on our first day with The Neighbor’s Closet, more and more people have been hearing about this little ministry — and the donations just keep coming!

It seems like almost daily someone is filling my trunk with bags of clothing, and I honestly couldn’t be happier about it. 😂 Yesterday at a meeting for work, colleagues and employees showed up with bags of clothing they had collected to send home with me. This was in the back of my car by the time I left!

Every bag means more clothing we can put back on the racks. More sizes. More choices. And ultimately, more neighbors we’ll be able to serve when those doors open again.

So please keep sharing our posts, keep telling people about The Neighbor’s Closet, and keep those donations coming. Every time you share what we’re doing, someone new hears about this ministry — and you never know who might have a bag of clothes sitting at home that could become exactly what one of our neighbors needs.

I am just so incredibly thankful for the way people are showing up and supporting this ministry. God continues to provide, often through the hands and generosity of people all around us. 💕

Thank you for helping us keep the racks full and the doors open.

The Neighbor’s Closet
Clothing • Dignity • Choice

Pretzel City Parish, Reading PA

09/14/2026

My heart is absolutely overflowing tonight. 💙💚

For weeks, you’ve watched this little trailer slowly come to life — through repairs, paint, flooring, clothing racks, electricity (woo hoo! 😂), and more trips to Home Depot than I care to count.

But today, The Neighbor’s Closet officially opened its doors.

This morning, 46 people walked through the trailer and had the opportunity to choose clothing they needed — freely and with dignity.

By the time we closed the doors, we had given away 175 articles of clothing and 15 pairs of shoes.

And I honestly don’t know that I have the words yet for what today felt like. I’ve cried more than once trying to write this.

Because underneath all the work that went into this little trailer, this is really what it was always about.

God has been so incredibly good. His hand has been in this from the beginning — through every person who showed up, every donation that came in, every door that opened, and somehow even through all the little problems we had to figure out along the way.

And today, I got to stand there and watch it become what I prayed it could be.

To everyone who donated clothing, worked on the trailer, prayed for this ministry, shared our posts, encouraged us, or simply believed in what The Neighbor’s Closet could become — thank you. God has used every one of you to help bring this little ministry to life.

And please, keep those clothing donations coming! What went out today needs to be replaced so we can keep opening these doors and taking The Neighbor’s Closet out into our community.

I cannot wait to see where God takes this little ministry next. 💙💚

The inside may finally be ready… but we’re not quite finished yet. Next up: the outside! 😉

The Neighbor’s Closet
Clothing • Dignity • Choice

Pretzel City Parish, Reading PA Christ Lutheran Church Reading PA - Reading Lutheran ParishBethany Lutheran Church West ReadingHope Lutheran ChurchNativity Lutheran Church ReadingZion Spies EV Lutheran Church Reading, PASt. Paul Lutheran Church, Reading

09/14/2026

Today’s the day. 💙💚

It’s been a little while since we’ve shared an update from The Neighbor’s Closet — but that definitely doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy.

Since our last update, a LOT has happened. The racks are finished. We have ELECTRIC! Woo hoo! 🙌 And those once-empty clothing racks aren’t empty anymore.

This morning, for the very first time, we’re opening the doors of The Neighbor’s Closet.

We’ll be at Christ Lutheran Church, 1301 Luzerne Street in Reading, from 9–11 AM, alongside the food pantry.

Everything in the Closet is completely free. Visitors are welcome to choose up to five items per person — the only thing we ask is that you leave the hangers behind so we can keep using them.

The whole idea behind this ministry has always been pretty simple: Clothing • Dignity • Choice. No cost. No complicated process. Just neighbors helping neighbors.

And as for what the trailer looks like now… I’m not showing you quite yet. 😉

You’ve watched her go from an old, empty cargo trailer to something completely different. Check back later today for the reveal — because I think you’re going to be just as excited as I am to see what she has become. 💙💚

Pretzel City Parish, Reading PAChrist Lutheran Church Reading PA - Reading Lutheran Parish

09/04/2026

💚 We’re ready to start filling the racks! 💙

Over the last several weeks, you’ve watched an old trailer slowly become The Neighbor’s Closet. There’s still a little work left to do, but we’ve reached the point where we’re ready for the next big step — we can officially begin accepting clothing donations!

The Neighbor’s Closet is a mobile clothing ministry of the Pretzel City Parish, created with a pretty simple idea: What if, instead of waiting for people who need clothing to find us, we could bring the clothing to them?

Our hope is to take the trailer wherever there is a need in our community. That might mean partnering with local schools when a family needs some extra help, bringing the closet to senior and affordable housing communities where transportation or access to shopping may be limited, setting up at community outreach events, reaching people experiencing homelessness, or working alongside organizations helping families after an unexpected crisis.

But those are only some of the possibilities. The Neighbor’s Closet isn’t meant for one particular group of people. It’s for our neighbors — wherever there is a need.

And that’s where we need your help.

As you’re changing over closets for fall or finally tackling that pile you’ve been meaning to sort through, consider setting aside your new or gently used men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing for The Neighbor’s Closet.

Our goal isn’t simply to hand someone a bag of clothes. We want people to be able to step inside, look through the racks, and choose clothing that fits, that they like, and that helps them feel good about themselves.

Because that’s what Clothing • Dignity • Choice means to us.

📍 Donations can currently be brought to Christ Lutheran Church, 1301 Luzerne St., Reading, PA on Sundays from 10:30 AM–12:30 PM or Fridays from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM.

So start cleaning out those closets! 😊 Every shirt, pair of jeans, coat, or children’s outfit that finds its way onto our racks is one more piece of clothing we can put into the hands of a neighbor who needs it.

Thank you for helping us fill the racks and get The Neighbor’s Closet ready to roll. 💚💙

“I was naked and you gave me clothing.” — Matthew 25:36

Pretzel City Parish, Reading PA Bethany Lutheran Church West ReadingChrist Lutheran Church Reading PA - Reading Lutheran ParishZion Spies EV Lutheran Church Reading, PAHope Lutheran ChurchNativity Lutheran Church ReadingSt. Paul Lutheran Church, Reading

09/03/2026

Another productive day for The Neighbor’s Closet!

Today we started building the clothing racks — and suddenly it’s getting much easier to picture what this little trailer is going to become.

Three children’s clothing racks are now across the front, and the men’s side is complete!

And all those pieces still lying on the floor? 😂 Those will become the women’s side.

There is still plenty of work ahead, but each new piece makes the vision a little more real. Before long, these empty racks will be filled with clothing and ready to serve our neighbors.

And for everyone who has been asking how you can help fill those racks — keep an eye on our page! 👀 In the next few days, I’ll be sharing what donations we’re looking for and where you can begin dropping them off. 💙💚

Clothing • Dignity • Choice

08/30/2026

Yesterday brought a pretty dramatic change to The Neighbor’s Closet!

I didn’t get a chance to post an update yesterday, but this one was too good not to share.

We went from the old, worn trailer floor you see in those first pictures… to new vinyl flooring!

There was a little measuring, a lot of cutting, and one very large paper template involved 😂 — but seeing that flooring finally rolled out made such a difference.

Between the fresh white walls and the new floor, she is looking less and less like the old cargo trailer we brought home and more like The Neighbor’s Closet every day.

Still plenty to do, but WOW… what a transformation already. 💙💚

Clothing • Dignity • Choice

08/27/2026

Many hands really do make lighter work. 💙💚

A wise pastor reminded me yesterday that we aren’t meant to do everything ourselves. We are one body with many members, each with different gifts.

Tonight, a few friends from Bethany came over to lend their hands to the project — and with only a couple of hours to work, those extra hands were definitely a blessing!

Tom started putting on the main coat of paint, and WOW… what a difference! Stacie and I tackled the black trim around the ramp door. And somewhere between paintbrushes, masking tape, tools, and plenty of conversation, those two hours flew by.

I’m beginning to see that building The Neighbor’s Closet is about more than building a trailer. It’s watching different people bring different gifts together to create something that will serve our neighbors.

And that includes more than the people holding the paintbrushes and tools. Thank you to those already asking where clothing can be donated, offering to pray for this new ministry, or simply sharing our posts to help spread the word. Every bit of it matters.

Maybe that’s what “one body, many members” looks like after all.

Clothing • Dignity • Choice

Pretzel City Parish, Reading PA Bethany Lutheran Church West Reading

08/25/2026

Nine hours, three Home Depot trips, one call for backup… and a whole lot of progress.

I burned a vacation day from work today and spent about nine hours working on The Neighbor’s Closet.

Somewhere along the way, I was also forced to acknowledge that apparently there are some things I cannot do by myself. 😂

I certainly tried—because stubbornness is one of my spiritual gifts—but maneuvering full sheets of plywood into the trailer finally required me to call in backup. Thankfully, John came to the rescue!

And because apparently no project is official until you’ve made multiple trips to the hardware store, today also included THREE trips to Home Depot. 😂

But it was worth it!

The new subfloor is in. Some of the old hardware has been replaced. And the inside received its first coat of primer—which means for the first time, we’re really starting to get a glimpse of what this well-loved trailer is becoming.

There is still plenty of work ahead, but every board, every coat of paint, every replaced piece of hardware—and apparently every trip to Home Depot—is bringing us one step closer to the day when The Neighbor’s Closet rolls out into our community filled with clothing and ready to serve our neighbors with dignity, care, and love.

Little by little, she’s coming to life. 💙💚

Clothing • Dignity • Choice
Pretzel City Parish, Reading PA