PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A Pasco County nonprofit dedicated to making sure local children are dressed for success is back open after Hurricane Helene nearly destroyed everything they had.
Marjorie’s Hope Outfitters, founded by Debi Shackowsky, was forced to restock and relocate after its original location in Hudson was flooded during the storm. The organization lost nearly $200,000 worth of inventory, including hundreds of formal dresses.
“We lost just about everything,” Shackowsky said. “We had to salvage what we could. We lost about 300 Cinderella gowns.”
WATCH: Nonprofit helping Pasco students reopens after devastating hurricane loss
Now operating from a new location inside Wendell Krinn Technical High School in New Port Richey, the nonprofit’s clothing boutique is once again open to serve families in need.
“This is all brand new,” Shackowsky said of the new space, where donated clothes, both new and gently used, are offered in a boutique-style setting. Children referred by schools or social workers are able to shop for free.
The closet is named after Shackowsky’s sister, Marjorie, who was killed by a drunk driver.
“Rather than focusing on her passing, we celebrate the life she loved to live,” Shackowsky said.
The mission, she said, is to remove the stigma often placed on children who lack clean or fashionable clothing.
“What chances do they have for success if they’re carrying those clichés or labels? So we are removing labels,” she said.
Danisha Harris, a local mother of six, was among the first to visit the new location.
“I’m grateful because I was trying to get them some more school clothes. This is a very great opportunity,” she said.
The organization’s comeback was supported in part by Leadership Pasco, which helped raise funds for the new space and inventory.
Students must be referred in order to shop, but once that happens, the experience is meant to boost self-confidence.
“If you don’t look the part, don’t smell the part, don’t present the part, you’re going to become a social outcast,” Shackowsky said. “That’s not what we want for our students.”
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“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
