The Council of Mid-Prairie Churches seeks to help low-income families with their annual clothes giveaway.

It should be stressed that this is not a sale, as the council collects donations from members of the Kalona, Wellman, and surrounding communities and gives them away for free. Council Representative Lynn Brown mentions the impact of this event, “One year we had three kids come, they had an older sister and two younger boys. And mom and dad were both at work and you know they were just looking for school clothes. So one of the boys asked me if I would take him around and help him find his size and so on. So we did and he gets some very nice clothes and he said, ‘You know this will be the first year that I get to go to school and on the first day wear something new.’”

Brown says many of the clothes donated are brand new, and they don’t give away any clothes that have been damaged. The giveaway will be taking place on July 21 from 1 to 6 p.m. and on July 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Kalona United Methodist Church. Items include clothes sized from infant to adult, shoes, coats, and linens.