RALEIGH, N.C. — On any given day the team at Note in the Pocket can fulfill hundreds of requests for children's clothing.

What You Need To Know

Note in the Pocket serves families in Wake County

The nonprofit's goal is to clothe 8,000 kids in 2022

It is in need of multiple sizes for both boys and girls clothes

“Depending on our volunteers and what we have in our facility ready to go," said Susan Elnicki, the nonprofit's clothing distribution coordinator. "We can really work magic and make these requests filled and out the door to the social workers very quickly.” 

Elnicki says having enough inventory didn't used to be a problem.

Even in their 29,000-square-foot building, some shelves sit half empty.

“Normally this is stuffed to the rim, all these shelves and we have overflow in the back," Elnicki said. "Right now, this is all we have, and we are very much in a need for clothing for girls and boys, age 10, 12, 14. You name it, we need it.”

But the issue isn’t that people aren’t donating, says Development Director Sarah Caldwell, it's that requests by schools and social workers to help get clothes to children in need is at an all-time high.

“In the last three months we have received over 3,000 requests for clothing," Caldwell said. "Last year in 2021, we clothed just over 3,500 children and families.”

Even with a growing number of requests, the nonprofit has no plans of slowing down but rather is looking to grow its community of free clothing donations.

“As we continue to grow our capacity, we’re growing to meet the increasing need," Caldwell said. "Next year we have a goal to clothe 10,000 individuals both here in Wake County and in Durham.”

For now the group will continue to fulfill their goal this year of 8,000 requests, and they still pack every order with a note. Even if they have had to change their approach.

“We used to handwrite every note, but with 8,000 requests, we don’t have the time," Elnicki said. "So now we put in every request, 'You are loved,' so that every child knows that.” 

Elnicki, who is a former teacher, has made it her mission to give back to the kids who she saw every day who didn’t have what they needed. Now she’s empowering them one piece of clothing at time. 

“You help them clothe, you help them achieve," Elnicki said. "And this is the place that does it.”