Start Me Up Niagara's Mobile Closet

We are a mobile service born from the pandemic that provides free, new/gently used clothing and other daily necessities to the unsheltered and low-income population in the Niagara Region. 

Making clothing more accessible, painless and FREE

● Hosting events and providing a free outdoor shopping experience
● Making clothing more accessible with kindness and compassion
● Collaborating with community partners to bring our truck to those less fortunate in areas in Niagara Region
● By providing direct access to crisis clothing via our Mini Closets to crisis service agencies.

To donate clothing in new or good condition, we accept donations at our 203 Church St. location in St. Catharines during the following hours:

Tues: 10am - 12pm

Fri: 10am - 12pm

Sun: 12pm - 2pm

• We have a lot of homeless patients who have minimal clothes to wear. Part of a safe discharge is to ensure they are properly clothed (shirt, pants, shoes) and if the mini closets did not exist the patient would not have been able to be discharged.
  Anonymous

Free Shopping Events

How it operates
Pre-scheduled events are hosted by community partners in agreed-upon outdoor space. Special instructions are made before the event. When our truck arrives, our volunteers help unload and set up events. Tents, tables, clothing racks and clothing bins are positioned to offer a socially distanced event.
Bags are provided and volunteers are trained to help clients navigate sizes using confidence-building impact statements.

**Shoppers shop for seasonal clothing, shoes & hygiene supplies for free**

See below to check out where we'll be this month:

Mini Closets

Sharing to make an impact
● Mini Closets allow 24-hour access to organized new/gently used, clean seasonal clothing provided by Niagara’s Mobile Closet. The Mini Closet is located at the service provider's choice.

Our Mini Closet project addresses the need for direct access to clothing for participants experiencing a clothing crisis. Therefore, making clothing more accessible where it is immediately needed by frontline workers.

Presently, we have 17 Mini Closets throughout the Niagara Region at various frontline service providers.

“Clothing available in the ER when a patient has none or were destroyed is amazing!”
— Emergency Room Staff

“It is not uncommon for officers to encounter individuals who do not have the proper clothing due to homelessness, mental health or victimization. Mini Closets provide Officers with the ability to readily provide clean and comfortable clothing giving officers an opportunity to provide another layer of service to those in need. ”
— NRP Officer

You can find us here:

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/niagarasmobilecloset 

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/niagarasmobilecloset/?hl=en 

Start Me Up Niagara gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Niagara Community Foundation (NCF); a public foundation serving the people of niagara since 2000. NCF connects donors to communities and charities to resources through permanent endowment funds, providing grants to eligible charitable organizations in cullture, health, education, enviroment, recreation, and social service sectors. NCF turns intention into impact.