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.