FINDING THE PERFECT FIT

The Plains Community Clothing Bank is reaching out to help students look good for the school prom.

The clothing bank exists to give away clothes, but this time of year it provides prom dresses for the girls and suits for the boys. The prom apparel is the only loan items at the clothing bank, said Jessica Peterson, who heads the "Prom Dress Rentals Program," located at the Assembly of God Church on Clayton Street in Plains. There is no charge for the suits or dresses, but Peterson said they'd like them returned within two weeks so they can continue the program the following year.  Sharon Herrera and Amber Dimond assist Peterson at the clothing bank. "We have some really nice dresses here and they're beautiful," said Peterson, who added that some of the girls choose a dress that goes with the prom theme, which is "Hollywood." The Thompson Falls theme is "Paris."

"This is a real blessing for a lot of the kids in the community," said Peterson, who has run the program all three years. She said that members of the community donate the dresses. The clothing bank has about 50 dresses and 10 suits on hand, including two hunting theme boys outfits that were donated this year. Most have been used and cleaned, but Peterson said people have donated new dresses to the bank. One woman bought a dress for a wedding and when it didn't fit right she donated it to the clothing bank. "Once they hear what we are doing for the students, we usually get people dropping off dresses kept in their closets for years to this program," said Peterson.   

This is the third year for the Prom Dress Rentals Program. The clothing bank was scheduled for girls to look through the prom apparel for the last two Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. No one showed up the first week and only two girls - Izzy Crabb and Kaylah Standeford - showed up last Thursday. This Thursday, April 15, is the last day to select prom clothes.

"I'm glad they have this; I'm not really a dress shopping person," said the 16-year-old Crabb, who attends Plains School, but plans to attend the Thompson Falls School prom because Plains won't allow outside students and her boy friend attends Thompson Falls. It took Crabb only about 15 minutes to choose from four dresses. Although not old enough to attend the prom, 2-year-old Emma Lynn Clinkenbeard, Crabb's niece, tried on one of the smaller prom dresses and hammed it up for photos for family members. Standeford, 17, tried on a dozen dresses, which took just over an hour. Standeford plans to attend the Plains prom and the Charlo prom in May. "It's nice that I don't have to pay for something I'm only going to wear once," said Standeford.

Last year, four girls, three from Plains and one from Hot Springs, participated in the program and this is the second year it has included suits for the boys. They also have a small assortment of shoes. Peterson said the program is especially helpful to those who won't go to the prom because they can't afford a dress or a suit for the prom. "I know a lot of girls that don't go to the prom because they can't afford it, and that's why it's good that we do this," she said. Peterson also volunteers to do minor hemming adjustments for the girls.

The Plains Community Clothing Bank is not just about clothes. It also has camping equipment, small furniture, baby items, and household goods, and they take donations of all sorts. "We also have received monetary donations from people that want to give back after finding items in the clothing bank and finding out that it's all free," said Peterson. They use donation funds to purchase items for other projects, such as the "Giving from the Heart," in which kids could sign up to shop for Christmas gifts for family members. Sixty children participated in 2020. Last year, they purchased an assortment of "Back 2 School" items for 130 kids from Plains, Trout Creek, Thompson Falls, Hot Springs, and home school students. "We do it because we love our community and we want to share the love by giving back and touching lives in any way we can," said Peterson.

The Plains High School prom is scheduled for Friday, April 23. Thompson Falls School prom is scheduled for April 24. The Prom Dress Rentals Program will also include free makeup and hair styling by Angela Trifone and her daughter, Lexi Williams, at the church on April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.