This Weekend: DressBarn Seeks Women's Work Clothes

With thousands of women unable to secure employment because they lack the resources to take the initial, yet vital, step of looking presentable for a job interview, Dressbarn is teaming up with the non-profit organization, Dress for Success, for S.O.S.—Send One Suit—Weekend donation drive.

This is the tenth consecutive year dressbarn and Dress for Success have partnered to help women in need receive professional business attire. All 825 dressbarn stores across the country will serve as drop-off sites for new or gently used professional attire including suits, dress shirts, blazers, pants, dresses and shoes that will be used to benefit women seeking to transition into the workforce. They hope to gather more than 60,000 articles of clothing.

The poverty rate in New York has risen to 16 percent (2010) from 14.2 percent (2008). A family of four makes less than $22,314 a year to be considered in poverty. In Rockland County, there is one —224 E Route 59, Nanuet; 845-623-7950. 

“During our current economy women need to support each other more than ever," said Dara L. Onofrio, president of the Rockland Business Women's Network and from Onofrio Law, P.C. in Nyack. "Dress Barn’s weekend clothing drive is empowering and will hopefully provide extra confidence for these women when they reenter the workplace.  The mission statement of the Rockland Business Women’s Network (RBWN) is all about women helping women and that’s just what this event is doing.”

More than 51,000 professional items of clothing were collected during last year’s donation drive.

“Since the inception of the ‘Send One Suit’ campaign 10 years ago, we have helped more than 125,000 women across the country gain a renewed sense of self, as well as economic-stability,” said Vivian Behrens, EVP and chief marketing officer at Dressbarn. “Ask any of those women and I’m sure they’ll say the donations they received were more than just gestures of good will, they were lifelines. It is our hope that now, more than ever, people will help us in our quest to turn second-hand suits into second chances.”All of the collected professional items will be given to the international non-profit organization, Dress for Success, which will then distribute the articles nationwide to women looking to gain a job or trying to re-enter the workforce.

“Our corporate fabric is tightly woven by our philanthropic efforts,” said Behrens, “and S.O.S.—Send One Suit—Weekend® is an exemplary piece of that ensemble, brightening the lives of women everywhere.”

All 825 dressbarn stores will offer donors an additional 15% total purchase savings in gratitude for their generosity. A complete list of stores can be found at www.dressbarn.com.

About Dressbarn

dressbarn, a division of Ascena Retail Group Inc. (NASDAQ -- ASNA), is a leading national women’s specialty apparel retailer offering quality casual, career and special occasion fashions. dressbarn stores carry styles in sizes 4 to 24, as well as shoes and accessories. Today, dressbarn operates over 825 stores in 47 states. For store information and to shop online, visit dressbarn.com.

About Dress for Success

Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for

Success has expanded to more than 110 cities in 13 countries. To date, Dress for Success has helped more than 600,000 women work towards self-sufficiency. Visit www.dressforsuccess.org to learn more.

 

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