Meet Sandi McKinzey and Mark Thomas, the couple behind the new project they are calling the Rolling Closet and Pantry. The idea of this project came from their overflowing closet, and asking the question many have asked: what should we do with the excess clothes we have? Their answer was to give it out to those in need in Carrollton. McKinzey explains on November eighteenth, “We took the Jeep and the trailer, and all of the clothes. We set up, kind of like a yard sale, at the Dollar Tree by Walmart,” and handed the clothes out to anyone who came in need of something. She goes on to explain how this day showed them how much of a need there was in Carrollton for something like this. So they got to work, deciding to turn this one-off thought into a larger reality. Luckily, they already owned a bus they were trying to find a use for. They ripped out the seats of the bus and set up a space where they could easily store clothes and other essential items. The bus gave them a space where they could take this idea directly to those who need it most.
From there, their idea has only grown larger. They found a space for donation drop-offs: Xhale City on North Park Street in Carrollton, a company that is open 24/7 and offers those donating a 10% discount when purchasing from their store. The Rolling Closet and Pantry accepts all types of donations, stating, “pretty much anything besides furniture.” Clothes, food, shelter supplies, over-the-counter medicines, and even children’s toys are all items they like to keep stocked on the bus.
McKinzey and Thomas take the donations from Xhale City, sort through it, and load the bus up—taking it directly to those in need who do not have access to transportation. They explain how this is the core of the project: bridging the gap there seems to be in accessible help. They brought up that not everyone has a car to go to food pantries, and oftentimes charitable organizations have long processes one must go through in order to qualify for help.
The Rolling Closet and Pantry tries to keep questions to a minimum, mainly asking where someone is located and what sizes they need. Their focus is serving those in extended stays and those experiencing homelessness, driving specifically to these spots to provide their services. They try to stress the idea of “take what you need, leave what you don’t, and give what you can.” With this idea in place, they do have limits on what a single person can take from the bus at a time, in order to ensure they have enough stock to meet everyone’s needs.
You can follow their journey on Facebook under the name “The Rolling Closet and Pantry.” Here they share areas they will be serving that day and what items they are requesting in donations. In less than a month, they have served over a hundred individuals with the help of the community. They hope to get themselves set up as a nonprofit organization so that they can continue to grow this project. They are hoping for a future where they can get a second bus and serve a larger population outside of the Carrollton–Villa Rica area. They want to tell the community that “together we can make a difference.”
