LYNN — Threads 4 Care hosted its first Lynn event for women in recovery at East Coast International Church’s “The Mansion” last weekend.
Founded in 2016, the non-profit organization initially aimed to provide foster children and former foster children ages 12 to 25 with opportunities to “shop” for clean, in-style clothing free of charge.
Now, four years later, the mobile boutique has expanded by offering its service to a number of underserved communities throughout the North Shore.
“I wanted to do something a little more fun where the community could actually get involved,” said Threads 4 Care founder Stephanie Conni. “If you can’t donate new or gently used clothing, you can come and help sort the clothing, or you could come and help set up one of our pop ups. It’s really a way to get community support without asking for a donation all the time.”
Conni, who lives in Peabody, thought up Threads after working with foster children in college through the charity, One Simple Wish. She said she was struck by how little attention teens in foster care receive, and how few opportunities they have to choose the clothes they wear.
“In group homes, the youth that live there are almost a forgotten age group,” she said. “They don’t really have much support beyond the state or the group they work with, and when they’re given clothes, it’s usually in a bag nobody wants. They don’t get to pick out clothes or go to the store for something that speaks to them and their personality or what they feel comfortable in.”
When Conni met Jen Lange, the woman behind “The Mansion” — which offers women in recovery a sober space to spend time together — the two connected immediately.
“Most of the women who come to the Mansion are in sober living and this is just another way for them to have a network and a community,” Lange said. “We really tried to make it a beautiful place.”
After learning what each other did, Lange and Conni said merging their organizations and hosting a pop-up event for women in recovery seemed like an obvious next step.
“It was two cool things coming together,” Lange said.
At Saturday’s event, four of the Mansion’s first-floor rooms were stocked with like-new clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories, and as they came in, each woman was handed a bag to fill.
“It was a really beautiful act of kindness,” Lange said. “A lot of these women don’t have any extra to go out and go shopping, so to be able to have a choice in what they were getting, versus just someone dropping off a giant bag of hand-me-downs, that was really nice.”
For Conni, Threads 4 Care is more than just a traveling boutique. It’s her chance to tell those going through hard times that they matter.
“To me … the thought of another human being feeling less-than or alone is unacceptable,” she said. “I started Threads to let those in underserved communities know they’re not alone, that there’s a whole community behind Threads that loves and is here for them.”
Conni added she hopes to open a brick and mortar Threads 4 Care location with sober housing sometime next year, as well as offer job placement services for women in recovery.
“My favorite quote — and it’s on my business card — is ‘love is the thread with which we connect the world,'” Conni said. “Lead with love, compassion, and kindness, and humanity will surprise you. I want Threads to be a movement, not just a mobile boutique. (I want it to be) a safe haven and support system.”
Those interested in donating to Threads 4 Care should contact Conni at [email protected], or call her at (908) 461-4060.