Pay it Forward boutique at Tiffin City now open

Tiffin City Schools recently opened the boutique called Pay It Forward, which is to help district families and community members in need. The store is in the newly renovated garage of the Administration Building, 244 S. Monroe St. The Pay It Forward program is to provide clothing and household necessities for individuals in need. This was developed in partnership with the Tiffin-Seneca United Way and funded through grants — in the amount of $25,000 — from National Machinery and the Tiffin Charitable Foundation. In addition, Superior Credit Union donated funds to purchase a boutique sign. "This was a need in the community that will help close the gap and get rid of any barriers for our students," Jill Miller, district social worker, said. Miller said students who lack the basic needs, such as clothes or hygiene items, have a hard time getting to the appropriate learning level. "We want to be a better community partner to be a better community," Miller said. According to Stacy Basinger, intervention specialist, families are allowed to shop for 50 clothing and shoe items and five personal hygiene items, once per month. Families are able to shop during designated days/times providing free and essential items they may need. Open shopping days for January are 8-10 a.m. Thursday; 12:30-2:30 p.m. Jan. 14; and 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jan. 29. During these times, anyone can shop in the store but must bring their state issued ID. Miller said they are keeping track of how many families visit the store and how much articles exit the store. "We want to keep data so we are able to see where the needs are," Miller said. Referrals to other community resources are also provided on site. Donation and store schedules will be shared on a monthly basis by following Tiffin City Schools on Facebook or @TCSSocialworker on Twitter. The store will also provide Columbian students with career experience, job skills, and social skills needed to work in public entities, Basinger said. "This is a win-win for the community," Basinger said. In addition to the store, Miller said they now have a recycle bin from Clothes Bin to recycle textiles that cannot be donated, such as clothes with holes or stains that cannot be removed. The program will then receive seven cents per pound which will then go back into the program to keep it going, Miller said. Miller said there has been such a great outpouring of support through donations they will not be accepting donations again until February. "What we need are families to come and shop," Miller said. For more information, contact Jill Miller (District Social Worker) at Jill_Miller@tiffincityschools.org; or Stacy Basinger (Intervention Specialist) at Stacy_Basinger@tiffincityschools.org. For those interested in making any monetary donations, call the Tiffin-Seneca United Way at (419) 448-0355 or send checks to the United Way and indicate in the memo line the donation is for the Pay it Forward program.