Jones County Community Closet turns donations into dignity
JONES COUNTY — What began in an elections trailer has grown into a countywide sharing effort that is helping families, students, domestic violence survivors, seniors, cancer patients and residents facing unexpected hardships.
The Jones County Community Closet started in January 2025 after Jones County consolidated Health and Human Services and began looking at ways to better serve the public.
For Jennifer King, the idea was personal.
“Clothing, of course, is expensive,” King said. “I grew up extremely poor. So I never had nice clothes. I was the one in school with stains or clothes that were too short. I know personally how that feels.”
That experience helped shape the idea behind the Community Closet. Instead of residents taking clothing donations out of the county to places such as Kinston or Jacksonville, King said Jones County wanted to find a way to keep those resources local.
“People donate clothes all the time,” King said. “Why can’t we figure out a way to keep those resources here, get them free and give them back for free?”
The first challenge was space. The closet started in the elections trailer, but quickly outgrew it within the first month because of the volume of donations.
“It was insane,” King said. “On one hand, this is great. On the other hand, how are we going to keep up with all this?”
The county applied for funding through the Harold H. Bate Foundation, which helped fund two Conex boxes, totes and supplies to help organize the clothing. Since then, King said the closet has been able to continue taking donations without having to cut them off.
The closet now keeps clothing sorted by size, making it easier to respond when someone has an urgent need. If a resident loses everything in a house fire, experiences flooding or leaves a dangerous situation with little more than the clothes they are wearing, the closet can help quickly.
“We’ve helped domestic violence survivors,” King said. “We’ve had people who finally got out, but they left with literally nothing. They’ve been able to get a whole new wardrobe.”
The closet has also helped people who are homeless, grandparents who suddenly take custody of grandchildren, students needing clothing, residents who have lost weight, cancer survivors and caregivers whose family finances have changed because of illness.
King said the Community Closet has served people from six counties. Organizations outside Jones County, including in Onslow County, have called when someone needed clothing.
The closet is open through quarterly pop-up events, but it is also available between events when there is an emergency or specific need.
“If somebody needs something, it’s a big need, like an emergent need, we can go there,” King said. “We’ve got everything stored by size.”
The effort has also grown into partnerships with local schools and community groups. The closet has helped with Halloween costumes, prom dresses and scrubs through a partnership with Lenoir Community College.
King said one of the most important things people should understand is that the Community Closet is not limited to people who meet a specific income requirement.
“This is not for those in need,” King said. “I don’t like to use ‘in need’ at all when it comes to the closet.”
Instead, she describes it as a community sharing resource.
“You have clothes in your closet that you just don’t wear,” King said. “There ain’t nothing wrong with them. You’re just tired of them, or they don’t fit exactly right. Donate those and come get you something in the place of it.”
Residents do not have to donate in order to shop. The goal, King said, is to create a place where everyone can give and receive.
“It’s not income based. It’s not for the needy. It’s for everybody,” King said. “If everybody shares, then everybody benefits.”
King said the quality of donations has been strong, with residents giving name-brand items and clothing in good condition. That matters, she said, because clothing can affect how people feel about themselves.
“It doesn’t matter if you have $10,000 in the bank today or $10,” King said. “You can wear name-brand clothes. You can look nice, which is going to make you feel more confident.”
For King, the closet has become more than a service. It has become a reminder of how willing people are to help when there is a simple way to do it.
“We did it to put out into the community and bless them,” King said. “It really has been just as much a blessing back to us. It’s so rewarding to be a part of that.”
The Community Closet will be set up at the Jones County Back to School Bash from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 8. It will also be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 9 for the closet only.
