Local dress closets help students ease the price of proms

Prom can be a priceless experience with – once dress, tux, dinner, tickets and other expenses are totaled – a high price tag. But a few groups in the greater Modesto area are doing what they can to cut one big cost: that of a prom dress.

On Saturday, Project Prom will have as many as 1,000 pieces of formalwear – almost entirely dresses, but a small selection of menswear, too – to give away at The Century Weddings & Event Center downtown.

At Davis High School, a student-run chapter of the nationwide program Becca’s Closet has a smaller selection, which will be offered up early next month.

And in Ripon, the nonprofit Marissa’s Closet – a charitable organization founded in honor of a Ripon High student who died in 2009 – has ongoing hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays during which students can shop for free dresses.

Saturday will be the third annual giveaway for Project Prom, which is presented by the Latino Community Roundtable of Stanislaus County, Modesto Councilman Tony Madrigal and the Bay Area Chapter of Hmong Women Today.

Project Prom has been storing about 100 dresses and a few suits at Je T’Aime Bridal & Tuxedo Wear and has collected an additional 800 or so garments donated from around Stanislaus County and from San Jose and the Bay Area, said Maggie Mejia, president of the Latino Community Roundtable. A lot of the donations come from dry cleaners – gowns never picked up by their owners, she said.

Project Prom also has women’s shoes to give away. “What we really need are the tuxedos and suits for young men,” Mejia said.

Any high school students are welcome to the dresses at Saturday’s giveaway. The only requirement is presentation of a student body ID card. There will be dressing areas at the event center, said Mejia, who noted that she has in her garage 10 full-length mirrors to be used Saturday.

Girls and boys who take formalwear from the event are, of course, welcome to keep them. There’s no expectation of the dresses being returned and loaned out again, Mejia said. But if a girl knows she won’t be wearing her dress again, or doesn’t care about keeping it as a memento, Project Prom is happy to take it back.

“For the young men, this may be the only suit or tuxedo they have, so they generally keep it,” Mejia said.

Saturday’s giveaway is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Century, 927 10th St. The event is first come, first served, and will include raffle prizes and refreshments.

To learn more, contact Mejia at (209) 303-2664 or maggiemejialcr@gmail.com, or Madrigal at (209) 579-4776 or tonymadrigal@gmail.com.

Becca’s Closet

At Davis High, senior Prachi Bulsara has been busy looking through the hundreds of dresses donated to the school’s Becca’s Closet chapter, which she coordinates.

Of those estimated hundreds, she figures there are dozens of dresses that are in good shape and still fashionable enough to offer. “Some might be considered vintage” and appeal to girls who like that style, Prachi said. Because taste is so subjective, “I don’t really look at the style, just whatever’s in good condition.”

With the prom coming up April 18, Prachi is planning two giveaway days, one likely on Wednesday and the other once spring break (April 6-10) is over.

Though Becca’s Closet is open to girls from any high school, and while she had a display at Davis’ Prom Expo and has promoted Becca’s Closet through the school bulletin, Prachi said not a lot of girls have taken advantage of the program, which goes back several years.

Prachi figures some students fear they’ll be looked down upon if peers know they got a dress from the closet. But she’s proud of Davis students and said she’s heard of no behavior like that. “There’s a majority of kids who do wear the same kinds of things, but there are a lot of those who do their own thing. I don’t see people putting them down.”

Becca’s Closet accepts dresses throughout the school year, Prachi said; anyone interested in donating should call the school – (209) 576-4500 – and the office will get word to her, or to the students who in future years will run the program.

Marissa’s Closet

Marissa’s Closet continues the work of Marissa McLeod, a Ripon High School student who created programs for people in need. The 17-year-old, who planned a career in law, took her own life in December 2009.

“After Marissa’s untimely death, Marissa’s family continued her vision and dream of helping others,” according to the mission statement on the website www.marissascloset.org. “Marissa’s objective was to collect and distribute prom dresses to young women who were less fortunate; our goals have expanded to offer additional opportunities for deserving young women.”

Since launching in March 2010, Marissa’s Closet has distributed more than 12,000 dresses. It also collects and donates clothing and toys to Sierra Vista Child and Family Services.

“We provide prom tickets for those who cannot afford them,” the website says. “We provide a minimum of two scholarships per year to graduating seniors at Ripon High School. Our goal is to be able to offer more scholarships to other local high schools in the future.”

Like Project Prom and Becca’s Closet, the only requirement Marissa’s Closet has of girls seeking a prom dress is a current student ID.

To learn more about the organization, see its website, call (209) 613-0836 or email marissascloset@yahoo.com.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 8:19 PM with the headline "Local dress closets help students ease the price of proms."