Providing Items of Warmth, Comfort, and Dignity to the Community
Shop for free clothing, shoes, and accessories at the new Community Threads store.
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By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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In November of 2022, 13 ladies with a love for sewing, knitting, crocheting, and community service came together to form Community Threads, a Fredericksburg-area nonprofit that provides handcrafted comfort items to local individuals, shelters, schools, and care facilities.
The organization now has more than 100 members who, as of March, have made and given out 12,015 items—hats, mittens, blankets, booties, pillows, fidget mats and aprons for children with autism or adults with Alzheimer’s, small knit toys, and felt “I Spy” games—to families and organizations in the immediate Fredericksburg area and in Orange, Culpeper, Louisa, and Westmoreland counties.
Last week, Community Threads cut the ribbon on its newest endeavor, a store where anyone in need can shop for adult-sized clothes and shoes, as well accessories and household linens, for free.
“No money changes hands in this organization,” said Marcia Reed, Community Threads’ King George liaison.
The Community Threads store is located at 1924 William Street, across from Westwood Village Shopping Center, in Fredericksburg. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday, and other hours by appointment.
It’s in the same shopping center as the office of FailSafe-ERA, which has sent some its clients to the store to get suits for an upcoming gala event and shirts for job interviews.
The store is an expansion of the clothes pantry operated by Pam Greswolde, Community Threads’ president and one of its founders. If the store doesn’t have what someone needs, the item might very well be in one of two storage units filled with clothes that are not on display.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Greswolde said. “We even have four wedding dresses.”
There’s no requirement to demonstrate a certain level of need in order to shop at the Community Threads store, Linda Foldvik said.
“What’s uplifting and important for people in need is to be able to come in to a nice place and be able to choose what they need,” rather than having to ask and be given something that they might not choose for themselves, she said.
Donations are welcome at the store during opening hours, or by appointment. Reed said she’s volunteered “our trucks and our friends” to pick up clothes that her neighbors were getting rid of, rather than have them go into the landfill.
In addition, the organization welcomes donated packages of men’s and women’s underwear and socks, as well as craft supplies.
And anyone who’s interested in knitting, crocheting, and sewing handcrafted items is invited to become a member of Community Threads.
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