Giveback giveaway: Miss Chattanooga offers free clothing on Saturday

Miss Chattanooga Stephanie McKain, who knows what it’s like to grow up in need, drops off donations at a storage unit in preparation for a clothing giveaway she is organizing for the less fortunate.
Miss Chattanooga Stephanie McKain, who knows what it’s like to grow up in need, drops off donations at a storage unit in preparation for a clothing giveaway she is organizing for the less fortunate.
photo Miss Chattanooga Stephanie McKain, who knows what it’s like to grow up in need, drops off donations at a storage unit in preparation for a clothing giveaway she is organizing for the less fortunate.

Stephanie McKain is the reigning Miss Chattanooga, but her life growing up was a far cry from tiaras and beaded gowns.

"When I was 8, my mom and I moved to North Carolina with two suitcases between us," she recalls. "I grew up in a single-parent home and all my clothes from ages 8 to 13 -- the growing years -- came from donations. I remember not having the best clothes to wear. I always said when I got older I would help children growing up in the same situation."

She's making good on that promise Saturday.

McKain is sponsoring a clothes giveaway at South Chattanooga Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to noon. She has been collecting donations from individuals and businesses for several weeks, keeping them in a storage unit on South Broad Street.

And just because she's a pageant queen doesn't mean all the clothing will be sizes 0 or 2. McKain says she has about 1,000 items of children's, women's and men's clothing, purses, shoes and jewelry. There will be limited amounts of plus-size women's apparel as well, much of it donated by Cato clothing store. Volunteers will be on hand to assist shoppers with fit and selection of clothes, as well as serve bagels and coffee.

"When you grow up in poverty, you don't understand what it's like to shop for something and get respect from someone serving you. I want to make this as much like a department store as possible, so people know what it feels like to be respected," says McKain, who lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The 23-year-old graduate student at Middle Tennessee State University has previously held a 2013 Holiday Clothes Giveaway and a Back-to-School Giveaway in Nashville. Those charitable events were hosted through Closets of Love, as is Saturday's holiday giveaway. Closets of Love is the community division of the nonprofit she founded in 2010, T-Shirts International.

McKain founded the nonprofit after hearing her roommate describe children overseas who had no clothes to wear. Realizing how many T-shirts and surplus pieces of apparel she had in her closet, the idea for T-Shirts International was born. To date, she has donated more than 3,000 clothing items to families in Rwanda, Honduras, Mexico and the United States.

Because McKain was the recipient of similar help while a child, Rodney Hullender believes community service is more significant to her than just a pageant platform. Hullender is one of three directors of the Miss Chattanooga, Miss Scenic City and Miss Tennessee Valley scholarship pageants.

"Stephanie is passionate about making a difference. She has a really big heart for service," he says. "She's trying to hold these giveaways statewide and, because she is Miss Chattanooga, she has chosen to hold this one here."

RJ Avery, recreation specialist at South Chattanooga Recreation Center, says this is the first clothes giveaway to be held at the location, although it has been the collection point for many clothes and toy drives. The rec center is donating space for Saturday's holiday giveaway.

Parking is available on-site. Clothing distribution is first-come, first-served.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.

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