St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano invites all girls from anywhere in need of a prom dress to free prom shopping days at the church, March 25-27 from 4 – 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 29, from 9 a.m. – noon. Community and church members are invited to donate shoes, wraps, jewelry, handbags, dresses and other accessories for this annual event. The St. Andrew United Methodist Women organize and operate the prom closet. Only requirement: girls must be present to select their dresses/accessories.
“This is our sixth year to operate the prom closet, and it has proven to be a wonderful way to reach out and serve the community,” said Devra Helffrich, an original organizer of the prom closet with the help of Jane Marshall. “The first year we provided 35 dresses to local high school girls, and last year, we provided over 200 dresses. Presently we have around 1,000 dresses in the closet, sizes 2 to 22, and are excited to collect more this year!”
“One of our greatest needs is for donations of shoes, handbags, wraps and jewelry,” added organizer Jane Marshall. “Those items truly make the whole thing pop, and the girls are so excited to leave St. Andrew with their complete look for prom!”
Prom closet organizers and volunteers confirm that not only is the need great, but the impact the dress makes on the girl and her family is immeasurable.
“We want anyone out there who has donated a dress or accessories, or who can do so this year, to know what a difference it can make,” added organizer Jane Marshall. “We anticipate another exciting year for the Prom Closet.”
Donations of dresses, shoes, handbags, and jewelry will be collected Saturday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 23 in the main church Narthex on Saturday and Sunday, and in Room 126 on weekdays. Larger dress sizes 14 and above are always needed.
For more information go to www.standrewumc.org or call the church office at 972-380-8001. Email standrewpromcloset@gmail.com. Area school counselors have been provided information on their campuses. Students must be present to shop for selection of dress and accessories. St. Andrew United Methodist Church is located 5801 Plano Parkway, corner of Mira Vista and Plano Parkway.
(For shopping days, please park and enter the church from the west parking lot, off Plano Parkway. For donations, please park in the east parking lot off of Mira Vista.)
St. Andrew United Methodist Church is a vibrant, growing, intergenerational church. Begun in 1986, St. Andrew is located on a 21.214 acre campus at the corner of Plano Parkway and Mira Vista and includes a sanctuary, education, music and nursery wing, completed in 2003. Nearly 2,000 come together every weekend through six different worship services: Saturday Night Alive!-5:30 p.m.; Sunday Early Service-8 a.m.; Teaching Service-9:30 a.m.; and Traditional Service-11 a.m.; The Well contemporary worship at 9:09 a.m. and 10:39 a.m. St. Andrew is an outward-focused church striving to lift the world around us toward God and provides a number of local and global mission opportunities including the Seven Loaves Community Center, which provides a myriad of services to qualifying residents of all Collin County zip codes directed at improving lives and breaking the poverty cycle. A number of caring ministries are in place to support members in all phases of life from support groups to career care in addition to ministries focused on each age group. Additional ministries include a strong music program with choirs, instrumental groups, as well as the Academy of Music, offering private lessons. St. Andrew provides each individual with opportunities to connect to the community and contribute their unique gifts to the congregation's spirit. St. Andrew United Methodist Church is located at 5801 Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75093. Additional information can be found at www.standrewumc.org.