Shoes, coats, dresses, games and so much more – they’re all available at Robyn’s Nest.
It’s part of Children’s Wisconsin, and Lona Long Velasco keeps it all in order.
“I’m a librarian by education, so I organized it accordingly and now I think it’s pretty well set,” she says with a laugh.
Many of these items will go to foster families – Lona says parents often take in kids and need supplies. But there are lots of reasons families need support.
“A family that’s had a fire, they go to the ER and the ER will call me and say, ‘hey, they came in with nothing, it was a winter snow storm.’ And then they’ll send them directly over here and we’ll get them everything they need because they can’t get back into their house,” Lona says.
It’s a mission that’s kept volunteer Jeff Jarecki coming back for about five years.
“You start to see people come in and actually use the services,” he says. “It’s a little thing we’re doing, right? We’re unloading clothes and boxes, but to see people actually use that service, it’s gratifying and fulfilling.”
Jeff sees how important this work can be.
“When you think about it, it’s really just fulfilling the basic needs that people have and when you think about that, these are clothes in winter, and mittens,” he says. “You need those things just to survive.”
The Robyn’s Nest warehouse isn’t possible without donations like yours.
“It’s incredibly important,” Lona says. “We couldn’t do this work without our community.”
It’s not too late to support organizations like Robyn’s Nest through our Community Baby Shower, going on until the end of January. Drop off baby basics at any WaterStone Bank Branch, or make a financial donation right here at TMJ4.com.