Catholic Charities Giving Tree opens this weekend at Mall of America

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Hope Street Youth Shelter in Minneapolis has opened a clothing closet filled with donated clothing and hygiene products for young residents at risk of homelessness. The Giving Tree event at the Mall of America, opening this weekend, serves as a critical drive for the shelter.

Hope Street Youth Shelter opens clothing closet for those at risk of homelessness

What to know: The Hope Street Youth Shelter on Cheatham Avenue in Minneapolis is a residential living facility housing up to 30 young men and women who are at risk of long-term homelessness.  Many times their journey begins in a newly renovated closet on the third floor.

"This room right here, it’s a reinforcement that we see you, we understand you," said Thomas Collins, who everyone calls TC.  Collins is the Catholic Charities program director at Hope Street who helped create this clothing closet for their clients who often times come to the shelter with nothing but the clothes on their back.

"They’d be in survival mode," said Collins as showed FOX 9 the room stocked with new shirts, pants, underwear and shoes, most with the price tags still dangling from them. "What this represents is thriving. This is thriving at its peak."

Each resident gets to gather enough clothes for three new outfits. And to keep themselves clean, there are personal hygiene products too. 

"When I came up here, and I saw how really nice it was, it was only helpful," said a 22-year-old resident going by the name Stephanie.  "A little can go a long way when you’re in a situation like this."

To keep the room restocked with clothing and hygiene products, Hope Street will rely on the donations coming in this weekend to the Catholic Charities Giving Tree event at the Mall of America.

"What you give to the Giving Tree, you become part of the family that we created here," said Collins. It’s to put a smile on your face the same way that it put a smile on mine just to have kids being able to have clothes."

How the Giving Tree works

The backstory: The Catholic Charities staff will have Christmas trees set up in the Macy’s Court at the Mall of America where anyone can select a paper ornament from one of several service areas.  On each paper ornament has a list of needed items that a person can shop for.

"Whether you are already shopping for Christmas gifts for family or loved ones, add that to the list," suggested Mike Rios-Keating, Catholic Charities Director of Culture and Belonging. "Go somewhere that might sell it and come back and drop it off."

The most needed items year in and year out are warm socks, underwear, jackets, and hoodies.

Digging deeper: Visitors can learn more about the various programs offered by Catholic Charities and even volunteer to help prepare care packages of socks and other essentials.  Therapy animals will also be present, including dogs to pet and llamas and alpacas to help people decompress from the stress of the holidays and shopping. Additionally, Minnesota creative and performing arts legend T. Michael Rambo will conduct a reading of his new children’s book on Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.