Mary Kay Hamilton, Kathy Mahoney, Lois Crees and Connie Ridgely of 3Cs.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The 10 Squared Women of Guthrie County held the first meeting of 2025 on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall in Guthrie Center. Thirty-nine women attended in person or via Zoom.
Julie Dent-Zajicek presented for Tori’s Angels Foundation, Paulette Chambers presented for Children’s Clothes Closet (3C’s), and Devan Seeck presented for St. Thomas More Center. After hearing all three presentations, the group voted to approve a lump sum of $14,200 from member donations and several employer matches to Children’s Clothes Closet.
For 23 years, Children’s Clothes Closet (3Cs) has been a vital resource, providing free gently used clothing to those in need. Serving babies, young children, high school youth and now adults, 3Cs has expanded beyond clothing to offer bedding, toys, towels and baby essentials like cribs and strollers. The organization also accepts select kitchen items to further support families in need.
“We have grown in many ways since that first day in 2002 when we had just one client. Today, we serve families across Guthrie, Greene, Audubon, Adair and Dallas counties, averaging more than 40 families per month,” Mary Kay Hamilton, 3Cs organizer, said. In 2024, 3Cs provided assistance to more than 1,000 children with 285 total family visits.
Families are encouraged to make appointments monthly to shop and are limited in the number of items they can receive per visit. 3Cs operates in the building directly behind Panora United Methodist Church at 119 E. Main St., Panora.
“We are incredibly grateful for our faithful volunteers who make this mission possible, as well as for the generous support from the community,” Hamilton said.
To make a donation or inquire about volunteering, contact Mary Kay Hamilton at 641-757-2393 or dmkhamilton@netins.net. To schedule an appointment, reach out to Connie Ridgely at 712-249-1347 or wridgley@netins.net.
The 10 Squared Women’s group holds meetings quarterly. The group currently has 138 members. To learn how to get involved, you can visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/10squaredwomengc, or email them at 10squaredgc@gmail.com.