Page 47 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2024

GIVING BACK
ELIJAH’S CLOSET
Reshaping Foster Care
story and photos courtesy of Elijah’s Closet
Mississippi families can face a number of obstacles when creating homes for their children. One of these obstacles is the provision of basic necessities such as clothing, shoes, and beds. Some situations warrant the separation of a child from their biological family and the child is placed with a foster family. Many times children will arrive to the foster home with no personal belongings. Elijah’s Closet (EC) exists to fill these gaps.
The focus at EC is to prevent the removal of children from their biological families, assist in quick reunification processes, and equip foster parents with items for first time placements. EC became a 501(c) (3)-509(a)(2) Public Charity on February 14, 2018. The organization worked its way up from operating out of a single storage unit, to two units, to three, to eventually renting a building. The organization is currently located at 2496 Pass Road in Biloxi.
To date, the organization has been able to help approximately 4,000 children on the Gulf Coast. The leaders of EC foresee these numbers continuing to grow as the number of families needing assistance increases. EC aims to continue growing and expanding to accommodate the resources that will be needed to provide for the families and children of Mississippi.
Tangible donations can be dropped off in EC’s donation shed anytime. For a list of items the organization accepts please visit EC’s website
at www.elijahscloset.org. The organization’s current most pressing
needs are the purchase of the building they are currently renting and monetary donations to assist in covering their overhead. If you can assist with these needs, please reach out to President/Executive Director Nikki Williams at nikki.williams@elijahscloset.org.
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Elijah’s Closet
2496 Pass Rd., Biloxi www.elijahscloset.org