Lapels Dry Cleaningl clothing drive to benefit Big Brother Big Sister generates more than 25000 lbs

KINGSTON, Mass. - Aug. 6, 2018 - PRLog -- Each year, Lapels Dry Cleaning conducts a two-week clothing drive to benefit the Big Brother Big Sister organization in multiple states throughout the country. The drive has now been an annual event in the Lapels Franchise network for 15 years and with each passing year the goal is to improve upon the previous year's total garments collected.  That challenge might be difficult in 2019 as Lapels drive this year generated 25,214 pounds of clothing donations—nine thousand pounds more than the previous year!

Lapels Dry Cleaning stores from Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri and New Jersey participated in the drive, which started on April 7 and ended on Earth Day, April 22. More than three dozen Lapels Dry Cleaning locations contributed to the drive.

"We can't thank our franchise owners across the country and of course our customer base in helping us to give back to the Big Brother Big Sister organization," said Dubois. "Being a part of the local communities we serve is a big part of the Lapels difference. This national campaign really gives us an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the children in the communities we serve."

Within its network, Lapels challenges individual stores to be the largest collector of garments and awards prizes to the franchise owner with the largest amount of donations.  This year's winner was Kimberly Wilkinson, owner of Lapels Dry Cleaning of Marshfield, Massachusetts, who was able to give back more than 15,000 pounds of garments to the Big Brother Big Sister organization.

Part of that 15,000 came from Wilkinson and her team volunteering to clean and dry many of the garments discarded at the start line of the Boston Marathon.  With this year's heavy rains at the start of the race, there was a need for someone to help to maintain the integrity of those garments. Wilkinson and her crew sprung into action, cleaning truck loads full of clothes at a moment's notice.

"The clothing that came in from the Marathon was in really tough shape. It truly is a testament to the way Lapels Dry Cleaning locations clean clothes that we were able to salvage clothes from that day so that Big Brother Big Sister could use them for resale," said Wilkinson, owner of Lapels Dry Cleaning locations in Marshfield, Cohasset and Kingston.

Lapels has pioneered an eco-friendly dry-cleaning experience over the past 18 years. Part of that effort includes a partnership agreement with GreenEarth®, the dry-cleaning industry's only non-toxic cleaning alternative. Using these kinds of solutions and the latest technology in equipment, Lapels is also one of the few dry cleaners able to boast that there is no hazardous waste in their process.

The clothing collected by Lapels Dry Cleaning and is now being sold by high-end thrift stores. The net proceeds from these sales are donated to Big Brother Big Sister mentoring programs for young girls and boys in participating states. Items typically donated include: men's, women's and children's clothing, coats, jackets, shoes (any season or size). Household items such as linens, sheets, blankets, towels, drapes, comforters, afghans, curtains, fabric and purses were also accepted.

"We can't thank Lapels enough for their efforts in putting together this record-setting clothing drive," said Steve Beck, executive director of the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation. "With these kinds of drives, a pound of clothing is roughly equivalent to a $1 in cash. Raising essentially more than $25,000 in a clothing drive is quite an accomplishment and something all the donors and participating Lapels owners should be very proud of."

For a complete list of locations where items collected by the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation are sold, visit https://www.bbbsfoundation.org/thrift-stores

For information Lapels Dry Cleaning stores and a location near you, please visit www.mylapels.com.