Restoration Acres Farm asks for community's help to upgrade Kat’s Closet

MEREDITH — Restoration Acres Farm is working to combat food insecurity out of the home of Kat Sorrell, and at her outdoor food pantry and clothing hut, Kat’s Closet.

She's so successful, she's simply “bursting at the seams” with donations, particularly clothing.

The nonprofit needs a new building to store these items, and Sorrell is asking for help from the community.

“It’s a little 6x8. We’re busting at the seams, because we can’t keep up with the incredible donations,” Sorrell said in a phone interview Monday. “Our goal is to focus on getting a building the same size as the one we have for the food, which is the 10x20.”

Clothing has become a huge need, she said.

“What we’ve noticed is a huge need for clothing. We focus, and try to stay focused, on food insecurity, but they go hand-in-hand. We’re hearing that clothing gets expensive, even at some of the local thrift stores,” Sorrell said. “Let's say you have 15 items at $7 a piece.

"If you’re struggling to feed kids and keep lights on, I feel like this would be far more helpful.”

The building would ideally be similar to the existing 10x20-foot food pantry building on the farm. While the food pantry and its offerings remain the same, a new building would allow for Kat’s Closet to offer free clothing in an organized way. The bigger space would also mimic the shopping experience, allowing guests to peruse the offerings, while feeling independent.

“The building is about $8,000. The one we currently have now for the food pantry, someone gave us. It was an incredible gift. It's wall to wall food in there,” Sorrell said. “We can’t really keep up with the clothing and food, but I feel like if I stop doing the clothing, I’m really taking away a resource that’s really needed. We’d like to replace the building that’s currently there for Kat’s Closet, so that they're side by side.”

The new building will feature clothing racks and stacks organized by size. The community has already turned out in droves with donations of winter attire ahead of the colder months.

“The community here is just so good. We’ve got beautiful jackets and blankets," she said. "We just wanna put it out in a way where people can come and it feels like shopping, and not feel like it’s all a hand-out.”

The building will be for daytime use with little-to-no lighting, helping keep the electrical footprint low.

All told, Sorrell estimates the project will cost roughly $10,000, given some of the dirt work that needs to be done. She’s seeking business sponsors who can help. She can be reached at 603-998-2084 or kathysorell@msn.com.

None of the abundance of clothing items at Restoration Acres Farm will go to waste. When they’re overcapacity, they regularly donate to other nonprofit organizations, in a symbiotic give-and-take kind of way.

“We give to Hearts & Hands, we’ll bring stuff over to Ladders in Plymouth, or we give to Salvation Army. We make sure things don’t just get thrown out. We also help with the homeless group that’s in Laconia. It’s nice to see collaboration,” Sorrell said. “Lots of hands doing work all the time.”

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.