Children in need at two Kansas City, Missouri, elementary schools will have year-round access to new clothes starting this fall through Stacey’s Closet, a new program of the Kansas City section of the National Council of Jewish Women.
Stacey’s Closet was named to honor the late Stacey Bell, a longtime member of Kansas City’s Jewish community who was murdered last year.
The program is part of the Kansas City NCJW’s Back to School Store, which provides new coats, other clothing and school supplies to children in need each fall.
Real estate firm Price Brothers Management Co. donated space for Stacey’s Closet at 87th Street and Antioch Road in Overland Park, said Sharon Mallin, the Kansas City NCJW’s vice president of community service. Mallin lives in Overland Park and is a member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.
Donated clothing will be stored at Stacey’s Closet and delivered to Faxon Elementary School, 1320 E. 32nd Terrace, and Gordon Parks Elementary School, 3715 Wyoming St., on request from the schools. Organizers hope to expand the program to other area schools, Mallin said.
Carla Oppenheimer, Bell’s sister and president of the Kansas City NCJW, thought of the idea for Stacey’s Closet before Bell’s death. Mallin came up with the name and helped set up the program and find volunteers to shop for clothes, work in the store and make deliveries.
Anyone can donate new clothes to Stacey’s Closet, Mallin said. One liaison for each school will notify NCJW about items the children need. Then shoppers donate the new clothing, and volunteers deliver it.
Volunteers who belong to NCJW will be fully reimbursed for the cost of the clothes. The public also can donate money to NCJW for Stacey’s Closet.
Oppenheimer lives in Leawood and belongs to Congregation Beth Shalom. She described Bell as “probably the most giving person that you’ll ever meet” and “all about helping people.” Bell volunteered for various organizations, including her synagogue, Beth Shalom; NCJW; and Wayside Waifs.
“Everybody was Stacey’s best friend,” Oppenheimer said. “She had friends from childhood. She made friends wherever she went.”
Bell helped create and played a key role in the success of the Kansas City NCJW’s Back to School Store, Oppenheimer said. Her sister would have been “delighted with extending the store’s reach with Stacey’s Closet and absolutely would’ve been part of it.”
Debbie Chase, an NCJW board member and volunteer and a member of Congregation Beth Torah, plans to volunteer as a shopper for Stacey’s Closet.
“NCJW advocates for women and children, and our local section does quite a lot of work to support the needs of underprivileged children,” Chase said. “Our newly created Stacey’s Closet program gives us a way to support the needs of school children throughout the year … (and) expands our support of underprivileged children in the Greater Kansas City area.”
Chase knew Bell as a fellow board member and said her “kindness and generosity were both contagious and inspiring.”
“She had seemingly boundless energy, along with a genuine passion for helping others,” Chase said. “We loved Stacey and miss her, and her amazing legacy will continue through the closet created in her name.”
NCJW’s Kansas City section was founded in 1894 with 17 members, according to the organization’s website. The section has about 600 members.
The national organization was founded in 1893 as “a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action,” according to its website. Its mission, rooted in Jewish values, is to improve the lives of women, children and families and safeguard individual rights and freedoms. It has about 180,000 members in 60 sections in 30 states.
Those interested in volunteering for Stacey’s Closet can contact Mallin at .
By Jerry LaMartina,
Contributing Writer
