BELLVILLE — A fresh coat of paint and a variety of donated items have helped create something bigger than a clothesline at the Bellville Neighborhood Outreach Center (BNOC),

The space at 84 Main Street has become a place where volunteers like Jennifer Dudley witnesses small moments of hope every day.

Dudley said fellow volunteer Terri Hamilton encouraged her for a couple of years to get involved. At the time, most of the focus was on the food pantry — to which Dudley joked “food is not my jam.”

During one of the center’s seasonal cleanouts, Hamilton invited her to help in the Clothesline. That experience led Hamilton to suggest a return the following Monday to keep working.

“I was hooked,” Dudley said. “I love it.”

A place for everybody to shop

With the exception of a few items, clothes are all $1 or a bag can be filled for $10, whichever is cheaper.

“We are for everybody,” Dudley said. “I want to make that huge.”

She noted many people don’t realize they can shop at the Clothesline, assuming it’s only for food pantry clients.

“My in-laws, who have always lived here, had no idea they could shop here,” she said.

We are for everybody.

jennifer dudley, bnoc volunteer

Thrifting’s popularity as a way to shop, Dudley said was a big motivator for getting involved. Her daughter loves thrifting, though she often travels to Columbus for it, she said.

During the Bellville Street Fair, Dudley said she kept the Clothesline doors open with music playing and raised more than $200 in just two hours.

“We had so many teenagers come in, try things on and walk out to the fair in their Clothesline finds,” she said. “One even in a full tuxedo.”

The Clothesline team would love to offer evening hours, Dudley added, but current staffing limitations make it challenging.

For now, the hours remain Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The shop is closed on Sunday.

Regular clean out leads to a total remodel

Dudley said the team closes several times throughout the year to switch out seasonal clothing items. This past September, the group also took the time to remodel the entire Clothesline section.

“It was great in there, but it was time to freshen up and update,” Dudley said. “Everybody should feel good where they shop.”

Hamilton added volunteers from the United Way Day of Giving Program helped with paint prep. Allen Cabinetry donated pieces for shelving and round tops.

Around the time they were remodeling, Dudley said the original round shelves, made of glass, wobbled constantly. When volunteers moved the furniture out for painting, she decided to call Allen Cabinetry to see if they could make wooden round shelves to replace them.

In one section of the Clothesline, a sign once read “Kids Korner.” One of the original volunteer’s father helped make it. When the sign came down during the remodel, Dudley said they decided to pay homage to it by keeping a photo of it on the wall.

More than clothing: Creating moments and memories

One of Dudley’s favorite parts of working in the Clothesline is helping families who suddenly gain custody of children. She asks for sizes and genders, grabs a tote and pulls items together for them.

Dudley said they recently hosted a homecoming dress event where girls donated their dresses. She set up music, balloons and makeshift dressing rooms. The dresses were free to borrow, with volunteers only asking the girls to return the dresses afterward.

(Story continues below the pictures. Photos of the BNOC Clothesline. Provided by Jennifer Dudley.)

Seeing the joy on the girls’ faces as they tried on dresses they never imagined wearing was one of her favorite moments, she said.

“We had a dress that was $400 custom and it walked out on a girl that night for free,” Dudley said. “We were still able to make $222 through donations.

“So many of the girls walked out with at least one, and half of those girls walked out with two.”

BNOC plans to host another dress event in the spring for prom.

Funding their Free Choice Food Pantry

Shoppers can find brand-new clothes with tags — including baby items and purses — at the BNOC Clothesline. Any clothing they don’t put out for sale, do to not being suitable, gets donated to another organization for repurposing.

“I have been here since March, and we can barely keep up with the turnaround,” Dudley said.

All proceeds made from the Clothesline goes directly back to their Free Choice Food Pantry.

Carol Hoeflich, a Manager/Volunteer at BNOC, said the agency serves Clear Fork Valley, and sees almost as many Butler residents as those from Bellville.

Upon retirement, Hoeflich told herself she was not going to sit at home in a rocking chair all day, which led to her involvement with BNOC.

“I just enjoy doing what I do,” Hoeflich said.

(Pictures from Bellville Neighborhood Outreach Center. Credit: Hannah Martin)

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