Prom season is on the horizon again, and that means the arrival of something else — the distribution of free prom prom dress shops courtesy of Melissa’s Closet, a nonprofit organization that distributes the dresses to high school girls in a five-county region.
This year’s distribution will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 30 in the space between Bon Ton and JC Penney at the St. Lawrence Centre Mall.
Now in its ninth year, Melissa’s Closet is named in memory of the late Melissa Walsh. The organization gathers prom dresses throughout the year and, as prom season draws near, picks a date to distribute them to high school girls in St. Lawrence, Franklin, Jefferson, Essex and Clinton counties.
“For us, it’s just the most economical way we can do distribution. One location one day seems to be what we can provide,” said Megan Walsh Hakewill, Melissa’s twin sister.
The dresses are free and, once they leave the storefront, they belong to the girls. They distributed more than 250 prom dresses last year. This year, thanks to fundraisers and donations throughout the year, they’ll have 550 brand new prom dresses of all styles, colors and sizes to put out.
“We’re always up to date with the latest,” Ms. Hakewill said.
Some accessories are also available on a first-come, first-served basis, she said.
The number of dresses this year is higher than in some past years.
“We usually aim for about 250 dresses each year. We had several, several donations this year in a variety of colors, sizes and styles, and first-come, first-serve accessories to choose from,” Ms. Hakewill said.
She said they see more girls every year at the dress distribution.
“They come bright and early. It’s usually around 225 people. Each year I get more and more contacts from further out,” Ms. Hakewill said.
In some cases, she said, schools try to provide transportation for students.
“We work with the schools,” she said.
They have 12 changing rooms, meaning less of a wait for the girls to try on their dresses.
“In years past, girls could wait to try on a dress,” Ms. Hakewill said.
She said they plan to continue offering the free prom dress shops uk in the years ahead.
“We always say we’ll do it as long as we can. It’s a nice way to provide families an option,” she said.
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