Today we’d like to introduce you to Maralee Martin
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The Caring Closet began in November of 2020, born from a desire to share the love and hope of Jesus in a tangible way with women and children coming from hard places. With a few donations in the back of a pop-up chocolate shop in downtown Wooster, we were able to provide clothing for five women and their children as they moved out of the domestic violence shelter at OneEighty. The owner of the building heard what we were doing, and allowed us to move to a larger building he owned, which we quickly filled with donations and volunteers. We then connected with Christian Children’s Home of Ohio and offered to fill needs for them, beginning a fruitful and meaningful partnership.
Four months later, we moved into another building, blessed by the owner to use for $1 a year in rent. This allowed us to rent an additional space to open our thrift boutique, with items being sold by donation. The next addition was a boutique just for the kids at CCHO to come and “shop” for free for themselves, allowing them to choose their own clothes and new shoes. What a joy to see these kids get to pick out items that they need and love! We are so thankful for the grants we received that allowed us to move forward with these spaces. Yet another rented space became the home for the rebranded chocolate store, en’joi. All. Good. Things. Because of our beginning in the back of a chocolate store, it seemed fitting to have en’joi nearby.
At this point, The Caring Closet was (and still is!) run by a team of 40 volunteers. We were serving effectively and efficiently, with dreams and prayers to do even more. We were approached about purchasing the home by The Barn Restaurant in Smithville, and quickly realized the value it would provide in foot traffic to the boutique. After consideration, I approached the board and received a resounding yes to pursue purchasing the house. That very evening, an incredibly generous anonymous donor asked if they could purchase the house for us. We still marvel at the way God provided this home for us!
By February of 2024, after many volunteer hours of repair and clean up, The Caring Closet boutique, located on the first floor of the home, was open to the public. The second floor holds our Christian Children’s Home of Ohio kids’ boutique and a large conference room used to host fun events for the CCHO kids. The house has not only given us more foot traffic and exposure, but it has also given us a home for our volunteers and the people we serve to come to. The lawn provides space for community events such as live music, pizza nights, and tea parties on the porch.
We are working to restore two final rooms in the house, and are actively fundraising to build a Carriage House on site to move our donation intake and processing center from its present location, which will allow us to more effectively and efficiently serve.
In addition to the ten community agencies we partner with, we have also fulfilled needs for emergency foster placements and when there have been fires in the community. The heart of The Caring Closet is to meet physical needs of those we serve as they continue on their journey toward healing. In alignment with this heart, we have put in place a four-step plan for the women, specifically, whom we serve. First, we fill their closets with items from our donation center. Second, we invite them to shop a Dollar Sale at the boutique so they can begin to provide for themselves and their children. Third, we invite them to purchase items at the boutique open to the public that are priced by donation. And fourth, a natural progression is for them to give back to The Caring Closet either by volunteering or by making a donation. We are so blessed when we see women taking these steps toward healing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like any non-profit, we are always working to ensure that we are sufficiently funded to do our work. We have been blessed to grow quickly, but with that comes growing pains in needs for adequate space and funding. We have been so blessed by the generosity of our community to continually have these needs met so that we can continue to serve.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Realtor and full-time volunteer as the founder and executive director of The Caring Closet
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I loved life and had a beautiful childhood. I have always loved people. We moved around a bit and I attended several schools, which allowed me to meet all kinds of people. My parents fostered children and served at a mission school in Kentucky, modeling a life of compassion and service for me. We always had lots of animals and I loved horseback riding. I have wonderful memories filled with friends, reading, and imagination.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caringclosetwooster.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caringclosetofwoosterboutique
Image Credits
Maralee Martin
