Salvation Army: The Salvation Army teams up with a local non-profit to provide professional attire for those in need

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) - The first distribution event will take place this Saturday from 5:30 to 6 p.m. at the Center of Hope on Greene Street. The youth-led non-profit, The Manarah Project, is raising awareness about the homeless population in our area while also educating the community about the challenges they face. The non-profit reached out in hopes of helping our community. Janelys Villalta, the Marketing and PR Manager for Salvation Army of Augusta, says "It's been super inspiring for me to see that there are local teens, high schoolers, who are fired up about giving back to their community specifically to the homeless population, we do see a lot of the community wanting to help out so it's really awesome to see high schoolers showing that passion for giving back." While most of the people staying at the center of hope are employed or looking for a job, professional clothing can be expensive and hard to come by. Villalta says, "I think that a lot of times the average professional takes for granted the clothing that we wear to our jobs to look professional every day. We just pick something out of our closets but not everyone has different sets of clothing to wear Monday through Friday every single day of the week, it's so important." The event is open to the public but if you are not able to attend the drive on Saturday, they will have more opportunities on March 29 th , April 5 th and 19 th from 5:30 to 6 p.m. at The Center of Hope shelter. "Not only is this a great opportunity for the people who are staying at our shelter looking for professional clothing when they're out on job hunts or they're in that interview process, but we know that it's hard to make ends meet right now. Not only is this an opportunity for people who are struggling with homelessness, but this is an opportunity for those who are living paycheck to paycheck and don't have that additional money to spend on professional clothing." Villalta explains. If you have professional clothing you wish to donate you can reach out to the Salvation Army or the Manarah Project. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.