WCF’s Annual Winter Clothing drive ran from October 18th through December 20th. The Community Foundation partnered with SoWashCo CARES to get the items delivered to students in need in the South Washington County School District. Thanks to the community’s generosity, SoWashCo CARES needs were met by December 4th! An additional 1,227 outerwear and 836 non-outerwear items were donated and went to Stillwater School District’s Brookview Elementary, Woodbury Leadership Academy and Basic Needs.
This year’s drive collected 3,039 donated items, a 65% increase over last year. A total of 976 outerwear items were needed this year to help keep students warm this winter. In addition to clothing donations, WCF received a total of $2,146 in financial donations. From those funds, a grant of $1,637.05 was made to SoWashCo CARES.
Donated items were thoughtfully laid out at the SoWashCo CARES storefront at Valley Creek Mall so students in need could come “shop”. This allowed kids to pick out items they liked, making it a more personal experience.
Nine volunteers monitored the drop off sites throughout the drive; picking up donated items as needed and bringing them to the store. The Woodbury Rotary Club was responsible for four of these sites. Additionally, thirty volunteers came together for the December Champions event; during which people “shopped” for students in need who, for various reasons, could not make it to the store in person. Volunteers also made holiday cards for the students.
The Winter Clothing Drive volunteers are already gearing up for 2026! They met on January 6th to debrief and discuss recommendations for this year’s drive. Stillwater School District’s Brookview Elementary, Woodbury Leadership Academy and Basic Needs all expressed interest in being part of the 2026 drive.
