Frequently Asked Questions:
Do you have an actual store? How do people shop with
you?
We do not have a store, we don't have anywhere near that
kind of funding. Currently the lower level of the Board President’s home
has a large spare bedroom that is set up to resemble a store. We have tables,
shelves, a closet with clothes, and many outfits even hang on the walls.
Clients call and set up an appointment, when they arrive
they fill out a short client form and then are allowed into the "Nurturing
Necessities Room". There is no time limit. We do however, reserve
the right to limit how much is taken, (we can’t give away everything at once!)
– but this has not been a problem. Take
what you need, but remember there are others that need too. For example if your baby is wearing clothes
size 6 months, and you see a couple of outfits that are 12 months you would
like to hold onto, that is fine – but please don’t wipe out ALL of our 12 month
clothes. We simply ask you to be
considerate, as you would want other clients to be considerate towards you.
We do ask if you are only Spanish speaking you bring someone
who can translate.
Is there any charge? What will it cost me to shop?
The items we give to clients are free. Occasionally if we have some larger items that we have had for a long time we will try to sell them through different venues to add a little money to our account, and to free up needed space.
What are the requirements for someone to be a client?
Anyone who would like to "shop" may, they just have to fill out a client information sheet -- we do not ask for financial information simply because of the paperwork it involves, not only in collecting information from client, but reporting for tax and annual report purposes. We had to make that decision when we first started the paperwork to become legal, and decided we didn't want to make it too complicated. We ask for you to be honest – if you can afford to go by new for your child, we ask you don’t use our service. If you are having a tough time financially, well that is what we are here for! We are all part time volunteers - none of our board members make any money whatsoever off of Nurturing Necessities.
Where do you get money from? What is it used for?
The organization was started with private funds from the Board President and once we were completely official her mother made a cash donation. In October last year we had our first fundraiser - a Halloween Scavenger Hunt that took place throughout McHenry and Johnsburg. The cash money we have goes towards filing fees, office supplies, promotional items, the website costs and eventually we would like to be able to give clients gift cards for when they need things we do not have.
We are a registered 501 (c) (3). Donations to us are tax deductible to anyone who itemizes on their tax forms. Please ask us for a tax receipt when you make a donation and we will get one to you.
What kind of items do you have? What condition are they in?
Most of our items are used baby clothes. We do however get other things in as well including toys, bottles, diapers, formula, baby wipes, and more. While our main focus is baby, we do often have clothes for children a little older too. We will often find clothes up to size 6, and maternity clothes are sometimes available too.
When you fill out a client form, we do ask what it is you are looking for. What do you need? We want to help you find it!
Some of our items are brand new, some are gently used, and a few have simply seen better days. These clothes still have a use though! Perhaps we have a turtle neck with a stain on the front. This can always be worn under another shirt for extra warmth and presto! The stain is covered. Maybe your child is sick. These clothes are perfect for those days when your child is not feeling well. Don’t risk ruining an outfit that isn’t stained, when you can go ahead and throw on a shirt that has already had some fruit juice dribbled down the front of it. My personal favorite – craft day! If you are going to let the kiddos finger paint – we have some outfits for you!
At this point we are now working on getting our name out there to the public! We need clients, we need donors, and people who are willing to support us in other ways - whether that be through monetary donations or helping out with pick ups, fundraisers, or other volunteer work. On March 11th we will be in the St. Patrick's Day parade in McHenry (sponsored by the Rotary Club). We need people to walk with us and hand out flyers to help us get some name recognition.
If you have any other questions, need our services, or know of someone who does, please let me know!
