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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Salvation Army fundraises through fashion show

Last year the Salvation Army in Bloomington donated 2,385 vouchers, worth about $119,000, to those 
in need.

To continue to grow voucher donation numbers and highlight need in the community, the Salvation Army held their first fashion show and luncheon Wednesday. Customers, employees and volunteers modeled items currently in stock in the Salvation Army, located at 111 N. Rogers St.

“The purpose of the fashion show is to show what we can offer people,” Tabitha Burton, the store manager, said. “We have interview outfits and everyday outfits.”

The Salvation Army, which opened in Bloomington in 1907, carries men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and home goods. All items in the store are pre-owned and donated.

The fashion show was also held to raise awareness for the voucher program and the proceeds from the $20 event ticket price will go toward supporting the program, Burton said.

Anyone who lives in Monroe County can come to the Salvation Army and get a voucher worth about $50, said Peter Iversen, community relations and development director at the Salvation Army.

“Our mission is to meet human needs without discrimination,” Iversen said. “That’s been our motto for over 150 years.”

Because the Salvation Army is a nonprofit, it relies on donations, Burton said. The goal isn’t to turn a profit, it’s to break even, which is how the store donates so many vouchers.

About 50 percent of the Salvation Army’s business is through vouchers, 
Burton said.

The fashion show highlighted that the store is currently low on men’s clothes in particular, Burton said. This is due to women shopping more, so the Salvation Army receives more women’s and children’s clothing donations, she said.

“We try to help the men out as much as we can, but if we don’t have the clothes out on the floor, we just don’t have it,” Burton said.

The fashion show will hopefully encourage more people to donate, Burton said. IU students who may be leaving for the summer or graduating can bring their clothes to the store instead of throwing them out, she said.

“We had customers come in for the show and say, ‘I definitely need to go home and clean out my closet,’” Burton said.

Burton said because the fashion show and luncheon went well, the Salvation Army plans to hold another.

Iversen said he would like to connect the Salvation Army with more IU students in the future.

Many IU students will throw out clothes and furniture at the end of the year, he said. Instead, they should go online and schedule a pickup with the Salvation Army, and a truck will come pick up the donations, he said.

“Tossing stuff is taking the easy way out,” Burton said. “I hope the show sparks something in people and makes them donate the clothes they haven’t touched in months.”

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