Clothing closet taking donations

Love INC of Hill City-Keystone has its very own location at the Community Lutheran Church in Hill City says Natalie Cutler, Interim Director for the  Love INC Ministry in Hill City. Cutler has a small office that she will staff Mondays 9 a.m. to noon at the Community Lutheran Church. There will be a Love INC sign in the window. The phone is available anytime for people to leave a voicemail at 605-574-1023.

Love INC Hill City-Keystone will be a little different, says Cutler, because of the size of the community, but she is confident it can capitalize on all the resources Love INC of the Black Hills has to offer.

It already has been assisting people who need help.

“We’ve had two women from Hill City who have participated alongside trained volunteers here in the Hill City area and now they have both completed their hours of participation and they’re both on the list for a car, through Shift Garage which is a ministry  in Rapid,” Cutler said.

According to Cutler, Shift Garage takes donated cars and repairs them and then donates them back to individuals. Cutler encourages individuals to donate cars to Shift Garage. 

“They’re using it to help people in our communities,” Cutler said.

Cutler said people go through the intake process at Love INC and then receive participation hours by working alongside trained volunteers on a type of community project. Projects in Hill City could include volunteering at the food bank or at a community garden such as the one at Community Lutheran. 

“Participation hours are going to be doing something with your hands. Some sort of work in the community alongside a trained Love INC volunteer,” Cutler said.

Cutler tries to let the participant choose what type of service work they want to do, while Love INC keeps track of the hours.

“The more you see the more beautiful it is,” she said.

Love INC targets the ALICE population, asset limited, income constrained employable people. 

“We have stuff that can help. We have a linen ministry, a kitchen ministry and a furniture ministry. And then we’ve relatively recently partnered with Shift Garage for cars,” Custler said. 

People can “work to earn” these donated items. Love INC doesn’t just hand over items and walk away. 

“One of our main pillars is that you have something to offer, we want every single interaction to speak to both the participant and the volunteer that says ‘you have something to offer,’” Cutler said. “We want to help them see that they have something to offer their own situation.”

Cutler calls it amazing seeing people working alongside one another to build a better community.

Donated items, things like pots and pans, small appliances for kitchens, bedding, shower curtains all end up in Rapid City but can come back to Hill City.

Cutler said the donated items stay local.

“While your particular plates might end up in Rapid there will be plates available here,” she said.

The ministry team meets once a month on the first Monday. On Aug. 7 that team will serve breakfast at the biker breakfast as a means to give back to the Hill City Center for donating space to Love INC for their meetings and classes, and events.

“I’s our way, then, of paying them back,” Cutler said.

The team has representatives from all four churches in Hill City. Currently Love INC of Hill City is doing their second clothing drive to support Hill City and Keystone youth. 

The Community Kids Clothing Closet  offers  gently used children’s clothing appropriate for  infant to school aged kids.

“We want all kids to come and get clothes. It’s free,” Cutler said. “We just ask that you take what you need for yourself and or for  your immediate household to get you ready for school.”

Thirty individuals or families participated  in last year’s event. Love INC has been collecting clothes for months, and places items in a storage unit.

A drop-off event for those wishing to donate will be held at the Little While Church Aug. 5-6 between 9:30-11:30 a.m.

The Community Kids Clothing Closet event is at  the Hill City Center Aug. 18 2-6 p.m. and Aug 19 8 a.m. to noon.