Page 86 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2023

GIVING BACK
ELIJAH’S CLOSET
Reshaping Foster Care
Mississippi families can face a number of obstacles when creating homes for their children. One of these obstacles
is the provision of basic necessities such as clothing, shoes, and beds. Some situations warrant the separation of
a child from their biological family
and the child is placed with a foster family. Many times children will arrive to the foster home with no personal belongings. Elijah’s Closet (EC) exists to fill these gaps.
The focus at EC is to prevent the removal of children from their biological families, assist in quick reunification processes, and equip foster parents
with items for first time placements.
EC became a 501(c)(3)-509(a)(2) Public Charity on February 14, 2018. The
organization worked its way up from operating out of a single storage unit, to two units, to three, to eventually renting a building in North Gulfport. A few months ago, the organization moved to their current location on Pass Road in Biloxi.
To date, the organization has been able to help approximately 2,500 children on the Gulf Coast. Last month alone, EC assisted 65 families and 140 children. The leaders of EC foresee these numbers continuing to grow as the number of families needing assistance increases. EC aims to continue growing and expanding to accommodate
the resources that will be needed to provide for the families and children of Mississippi.
Tangible donations can be dropped
off at EC’s new location any time
and should be placed in the shed on
the property. For a list of items the organization accepts, please visit EC’s website. The organization’s current most pressing needs are a box truck
so they can deliver requested items as needed and monetary donations to assist in covering their overhead. If you can assist with these needs, please reach out to President/Executive Director,
Nikki Williams, at nikki.williams@elijahscloset.org.
Elijah’s Closet
2496 Pass Rd., Biloxi www.elijahscloset.org
story and photos courtesy of Elijah’s Closet
86 | December 2023 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living