Herndon, VA
St. Timothy’s is dedicated to serving the poorest in our community, with a long tradition of local outreach. The Closet had its beginnings at St. Timothy’s in the 1970s. The first shelter for the homeless in Fairfax County was started by St. Timothy’s in 1984 – volunteers set up cots and provided dinners in Henry Hall. Other churches joined in the effort culminating in building the Embry Rucker Shelter in nearby Reston. Then, St. Timothy’s started the Hypothermia Shelter during winter months, and continues to provide meals there in conjunction with other area churches. Here are a few of our ongoing local outreach efforts:
THE CLOSET
The Closet, 845 Station Street, Herndon helps low-income families by selling used clothing and household items at affordable prices. The Closet grants funds to other local nonprofits such as Cornerstones, LINK and Herndon-Reston FISH. It also donates scholarship money to Herndon High School, Dominion High School, Mountain View High School, South Lakes High School, Park View High School and Westfields High School.
The Closet is open 6 days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. plus Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Cash, credit and debit cards are accepted for purchases.
The Closet donation hours are Monday through Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to noon, and Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon. No donations are accepted on Thursdays. The Closet accepts gently used clothing for babies, children, men and women, home goods, books (1 box per car), electronics and jewelry.
Volunteers from St. Timothy’s work at The Closet one or two days a month for 3 hours. The support of volunteers offsets the cost of additional paid staff. Jobs for volunteers include: hanging clothing, pushing clothing to the retail floor, pricing items, cashiering, bagging and general floor work (such as pulling empty hangers and rehanging clothing that has fallen to the floor.) If you wish to volunteer, please contact Holly Hartge (703.785.8797 or email at mhhvirginia@verizon.net.)
St. Timothy was one of the founding churches of The Closet. It sells a wide variety of donated items, including clothes and shoes; housewares such as dishes, kitchenware and linens; electronics; sporting goods; books, videos, cd’s and record albums; artwork and frames; toys; and knickknacks. Last year, The Closet gave away more than $110,000 worth of clothing and necessities to needy persons referred by an authorized social service agency or one of our member congregations.
The Closet depends on volunteers from the 18 churches who support it. Call Holly Hartge (703.318.8292), the St. Timothy’s representative, to volunteer. The Closet also welcomes students who are 13 years old or in 7th grade or higher who wish fulfill community service hours. Home – THE CLOSET (theclosetofgreaterherndon.org)
LINK
LINK is a local food pantry comprised of 15 member churches that serves Herndon, Sterling and Ashburn. In addition to deliveries of food to families in need, LINK also holds a monthly food pantry and distributes annual holiday food baskets, coats and toys. LINK makes over 250 food deliveries to families per month and over 1000 families during the Holiday Basket season. St. Timothy’s supports LINK with food donations, packing bags of food, coordinating food deliveries and assisting with collection and distribution of the holiday baskets. www.linkagainsthunger.org
Cornerstones
Cornerstones (Formerly Reston Interfaith) promotes self-sufficiency by providing support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, quality childcare, and other services. St. Timothy’s supports Cornerstones with funds, volunteers and donated goods. Programs we support through Cornerstones annually include: Hypothermia Shelter meals, school backpack collection, and Angel Tree holiday gifts. For more info, go to: Cornerstones – Hope for tomorrow today (cornerstonesva.org)