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MPRI Wayne County
Northwest Detroit Weed and Seed
REENTRY PROJECT
Wayne County MPRI partners with Detroit Police Department
To Establish Mens Clothing Closets
| Building on the success of existing partnerships and community collaborations, the Wayne County MPRI joined in partnership with the Detroit Police Department’s Northwestern District, the Northwest Detroit Weed and Seed ReEntry Project, and Project Safe Neighborhoods to conduct a year-long, city-wide men’s clothing drive. |
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| Officer Myra Gracey and volunteers unload donated clothing and prepare them for the dry cleaners or the laundry facility. |
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The clothing drive launched in early February 2006, and within weeks, Detroit Police officers delivered hundreds of shirts, pairs of pants, sweaters, sacks, and over 150 suits, overcoats and shoes to three MPRI community partner sites working to prepare ex-offenders for employment and job placement.
To date, nearly 140 MPRI participants have received gently-worn suits, dress shoes, casual shoes, shirts, slacks, work clothes, jackets, and coats, primarily donated by officers of the Detroit Police Department and Detroit area churches. |
| At the core of the establishment of the Wayne County MPRI Men’s Clothing Closets is a belief that, with the appropriate support, ex-offenders do possess the capacity to transform their lives as they strive to achieve self-sufficiency, rebuild family and community ties, and most importantly, become assets to the communities they left behind. |
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| Officer Myra Gracey sorts through donated clothes in preparation for distributing them to one of the three Wayne County MPRI Mens Clothing Site partner locations |
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In acknowledging the efforts of all the partners, Tamela Aikens, MPRI Community Coordinator, and DCJP Executive Director remarked, “I am convinced that looking good, contributes to feeling good, and the way we feel about ourselves is a direct reflection of how we feel about others - and that’s enough hope to keep in one of [his] pockets. Being dressed, prepared, and ready for a job interview, or the business of life, will move us closer to putting money in his ‘other’ pocket, and that has been made possible by the support and commitment of these fine officers, and our faith partners.” |
The clothing drive continues, and donations are still being received at an impressive rate, but clothes are still needed. Faith institutions and organizations are encouraged to coordinate men’s clothing drives within their organizations. All collected clothing will be promptly picked up. For more information, or to donate clothes please contact Mario Dewberry, Weed & Seed Reentry Coordinator (313) 541-5285. |
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