While it may not be completely true that “the clothes make the man,” having a decent set of clothes can make a man’s future prospects brighten considerably. That is the mission of One Man’s Treasure, a resource for recently incarcerated men providing clothing that can be beneficial in many ways.
“The state provides pants and a shirt, $100 and a bus ticket and not much else,” said Executive Director Annette Jenkins. “And by providing these guys with just some decent clothes they are much better able to deal with life after prison.”
The charity provided statistics showing that after three years, their clients had a recidivism (return to prison) rate of only 13%, compared to 23-44% statewide.
“It is only one part of it, but it means a lot to be able to dress normally,” she said. “You see these who are just released and trying to put their life back together and they don’t even have a coat or another set of clothes. Some of them have no support structure and no resources so it is pretty hard not to return to what they knew before.”
One Man’s Treasure accepts donations of gently used men’s clothing and shoes.
Find more information at onemanstr.org.
Other organizations receiving grants this month include:
Cedar Creek Friends of the Animals, $2,000
Helping Angels of Kaufman, $5,000
Henderson County Rainbow Room, $3,000
Kaufman Christian Help Center, $5,000
Kaufman County Master Gardeners Association, $1,000
Kiwanis Club of Cedar Creek Lake, $5,000
The Purpose Project, $5,000
Wills Point Middle School, $2,000
