A CARING CLOSET
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Mission Statement
A Caring Closet Restores dignity and self-sufficiency to the under-served and under-insured by providing gently used durable medical equipment to those in need at NO COST in Southwest Washington.
About This Cause
A Caring Closet acts as a clearinghouse for the donation and distribution of used Durable Medical Equipment (DME) in Clark County, Washington and surrounding areas. Over 75% of people served are in Clark County, and over 80% of people served are 60+ years of age or older.Donations are received from individuals as well as institutions. Many items donated are in need of repair, and volunteers formerly with Columbia Springs Repair Cafe come to our facility three times per week to repair and prepare equipment for distribution. DME donated and available include: Hospital beds Hoyer lifts Transfer poles Electric and standard wheelchairs WalkersCanes Shower chairs Stand-assist Recliners and much more We also have available unopened adult briefs. A Caring Closet serves its greater Clark County community through a 4,000 sf facility in Vancouver, Washington, which is open 3 hours per day, 3 days per week. We are a volunteer organization comprised of 20 volunteers, most of whom are 60+ years of age or older. Started in 2016 by two local elder care professionals from their garage, the organization has seen phenominal growth as word has spread throughout the community.The demand for our services has grown exponentially. in 2022 over 13,000 individuals were served, a 100% increase over the previous year. Visitor logs for 2023 average 150 people per day visiting our facility. We project to have served over 20,000 individuals in 2023. A major trend in our society over the past decade has been the movement to age (and die) in place. The same is true when recovering from an injury or illness. Paralleling that trend, a growing number of family members are becoming caregivers for their loved ones who are making the decision to recover/age/die in their own home. Access to Durable Medical Equipment (DME) when the need arises can and does make the difference between maintaining independence and mobility - the ability to remain active in one's community - and being institutionalized for medical care and rehabilitation. Yet many in our community do not have access to DME for their recovering/aging/terminally ill family member who wants to remain in the loving care of his/her family, or the older adult with a disability whose caregiver needs assistive equipment for the home. A Caring Closet is meeting the needs of people in our community who cannot afford medical equipment by providing it FREE to those in need. The unfortunate reality is that we have thousands of individuals in our community who do not have the access to life altering medical equipment. The need is great, but with the support of our community we can work together to provide medical equipment to those in need. A Caring Closet addresses the access-to-DME challenge for the under-served and under-insured by serving as a clearinghouse for the donation and redistribution of gently used durable medical equipment at no cost. No one has to prove that they qualify, or that their income is low enough; everyone is treated with dignity as they select the equipment for their particular need with the assistance of a knowledgable volunteer. Equipment donors also take pride in knowing that the wheelchair or hospital bed their loved one used can be of assistance to someone else in need. The family avoids costs of taking the equipment to be disposed of, while "paying it forward".