NONPROFIT
SPOTLIGHT
An ongoing section in LA Metro Magazine highlighting the good work of nonprofit organizations in the LA community.
Written by Toby Haber-Giasson
Helping neighbors with dignity
A
decent set of school clothes is such a basic requirement for children that we often don’t think about how it affects those who don’t have it.
heavy-duty poles along the perimeter and started sorting. Before June, PFF was able to provide a set of school clothes to each of a dozen children at Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls.
Joni Gordon thinks about it.
Choices
At Oxford Elementary School, Gordon works with many children of slender means. Last year, she noticed someone who had very little of her own, and a reluctance to connect with adults who could help. So for Christmas, Gordon “adopted” this student, anonymously.
Children who live in dire conditions don’t have much control over what happens in their own lives. That’s why Pink Feather treats them like clients, inviting them to shop for what they’d like to wear.
To Gordon’s amazement, this young girl seemed transformed by a set of new clothes: proud, smiling, raising her hand in class, interacting with peers she would not have approached before.
“This way gives them some power,” explains Gordon “They get to choose the clothes they want to wear, instead of getting a bag of hand-me-downs.”
“This is what we need to do,” Gordon realized, “to provide a way to get kids the clothing they need, with dignity.”
How it all began Gordon is no stranger to good works. She and a few friends had created the Pink Feather Foundation (PFF) in 2011, to raise money for worthy local causes. Each year, they provide holiday meals for over 30 needy families in the area, among other efforts. So when Gordon launched this new mission on social media last New Year’s Eve, friends followed her lead. By March, they had donated 3,000+ articles of clothing. At first, PFF co-founder Jen Kyllonen stored the clothing in her garage. By April, PFF had to move into a donated mall space, which is shared by four charitable groups. They installed 62
LA METRO MAGAZINE | WINTER 2019
Volunteer
