Here are a bunch of the most common questions we get asked. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, drop us a note!
Are your clothes really free?
YES! All clothes we give to the community is 100% FREE. Our entire mission is to give away free clothes and essentials to anyone who needs it at no cost – regardless of race, nationality, status, or sexual orientation. If you need help, we got you – no questions asked.
Where do they come from?
From generous friends and organizations – and even strangers – all around town! Everything we give out was donated by the kind hearts of those in our community wanting to make a difference. And in most instances they are given out within days from the time we receive them as we like to get these necessities into peoples’ hands as quickly as possible!
Do you have a physical location we can visit?
Not yet but we are working on it! Do you own any property in town we can trial a “free store” in? : ) We’re currently mobile-only, doing pop-ups at events around the community where our most vulnerable clients already meet (free dinners, community events, etc).
We have three weekly pop-ups downtown Fredericksburg (Virginia), as well as special events and festivals throughout the year. All dates and locations can be found on our homepage.
How can I donate clothes?
The best way to connect with us is by shooting us a text or email and we will find a convenient way to meet : ) You’re also more than welcome to drop off items at any of our pop-ups! (Dates and locations on our homepage) I know it’s more annoying than dropping it off at Goodwill, but I promise it’ll do much greater good!! All donated items go *directly* to people who need it, and usually within days of receiving it. We never sell any of the clothes.
How can I donate money?
Thank you for considering this! Every last dollar we raise goes directly to our mission of providing free clothes and essentials to those who need it in our area. We have no paid staff (not even the Founder – me!), so we run pretty efficiently.
That said, it costs us about $350/mo to operate (gas, insurance, maintenance, boring admin costs) so we are always looking for ways to fund raise. We will even take gas cards or collectable coins or Pokémon cards as we’re easily able to convert these into cash as well! You can donate here.
What items are you currently accepting for donations?
We accept ALL gently used and new clothing (shirts, pants, shoes, etc), but the items we’re always in most need of are *casual* clothing for adults. In particular:
- Men’s clothes — we never have enough!
- Tees, hoodies, pants, shorts, sweats — all sexes
- Shoes/Sneakers — all sexes/sizes, even size 15 (!). No dress shoes please.
- Socks, underwear, bras, etc — can be used, but has to be clean (!)
- Accessories — hats, belts, jewelry, watches, etc
- Toiletries — soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, razors, feminine products, etc
- Little Luxuries! — lotions, perfumes (can be used!), makeup, jewelry – anything to help folks feel a bit more special 🙂
- Bags, backpacks, purses, suitcases — anything that can hold a lot of stuff!
- Tents, sleeping bags, umbrellas, camping stuff — many of our folks live in the woods
- Bikes — faster transportation for those able to work!
(Items we’re currently not accepting: winter items, dress clothes, suits, fancy dresses, high-heels, kids clothes. We recommend donating these to our partner: Provisions Thrift Store)
I don’t have any clothes to donate, how else can I help?
Here are other ways you can help us make an impact!
- Run a Quarters Drive! – help us gather quarters so our friends can do laundry!
- Run a Shoe Drive – we always need more comfy shoes and sizes
- Run a Socks/Underwear Drive – we can never have enough!
- Run a Toiletries Drive – another need, 100% of the time
We can also easily turn the below collectables into cash for our organization as well:
- Collectible Coins – particularly silver and gold ones
- Silverware/Antiques – we have a good antiques dealer friend who supports us
- Sports Cards/Pokémon Cards – we are a regular at card shows!
- Vintage Clothes/Accessories – we partner with vintage shop Global Threadz who supports us
- Automobiles – a bigger process, but a bigger impact 🙂
What happens to the clothes no one wants?
Whenever we bring out clothes week after week but for whatever reason they are not taken, we gather them up and donate them to other non-profits in the area with similar missions. This includes other clothing closets like Cinderella’s Closet and Stafford County Public Schools’ Closet, as well as low-cost thrift stores like Provisions which are all set up to serve the community.
I can’t make it out to your usual pop-ups, do you have others?
We do occasionally, yes! We list them on our homepage, as well as on social media. However, we understand it can still be tough to reach us at a specific time and place. Check out these other free closets around town that we’ve compiled, and if you’re still having trouble getting what you need, shoot us a note and we’ll see what we can do 🙏
Do you have my size? Or this particular item I’m looking for?
Maybe! We get an influx of donations every week, but as fast as they come in we make it our mission to get them right back out the door to folks who need it : ) Sometimes we’ll have your exact size, and others not, but you’re always welcome to email us and we will do our best to put things aside for you 👍
Are the clothes washed/sanitized?
No. Similar to other clothing non-profits, our mission is to turn around the donated clothes as soon as possible to those who need ’em – often within days. While a majority of our clothes do come in washed and folded – some even with brand new tags still on! – whenever we’re unsure of the cleanliness of donations we dispose of them and do not give them out.
Are my cash donations tax-deductable?
No. The FXBG Free Closet is not legally a 501(c)3 yet, even though 100% of our clothes and donations go straight to the community. For this reason, any donations (cash or clothes) cannot be written off. That being said, if a tax receipt is important to you let us know as we have partnerships with many charitable organizations who support our mission and we’ll find a way to get you one 👍
I want to donate downtown space to help you further the mission!!
OMG THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED – THANK YOU FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN! : )
Seriously though, if you or anyone you know owns commercial property that’s just been sitting there empty waiting to be put to good use, we’d love to share our dream of what a “Free Store” might look like downtown for the community. This is the #1 thing we’re looking for right now – a physical space in town where we can help even more people! 🤍
Why do you love Fredericksburg so much?
You know those Hallmark movies of cute little towns in the winter time with everyone walking around all happy and no cares in the world? That’s kinda how I feel about this place, maybe minus all the “no cares” part ; ) Everyone’s just so friendly here and it really is a cute town! If you’ve never been before – come visit and I’ll buy you coffee ☕
How can I stay updated?
Sign up to our monthly newsletter and you’ll receive updates as well as ways you can help us continue the mission : ) Sign up here.
Have a question we didn’t answer? Shoot us a note!
