OUR MISSION & STORY
OUR STORY
2005-2011:
A Teacher’s Vision to Make a Difference, One Student at a Time
In 2005, a recent college graduate began her dream job—teaching kindergarten to an underserved population in an impoverished school. With a student population beset with all the problems commonly associated with poverty, she quickly realized that her training had not addressed the realities of teaching students who were struggling mightily outside the classroom. Margaret shared her concerns with her mother. Together, they decided that they would focus on providing one basic need—the lack of seasonally appropriate clothing for school. It was late September and Margaret had noticed that many of the children did not seem to have sweaters or jackets. What would they do when it got really cold?
Together they purchased coats from store sales and thrift shops, and the teacher was able to send a coat home with each child in her class before the temperature dropped to below freezing. The next day, some of the coats were returned. It never occurred to some of these families that the coat was a gift for the child to keep. The school’s social worker prepared a note explaining that the coats were donations from the community. A copy of the note was then inserted into the pocket of each item.
Things quickly snowballed as others learned of their generosity. The following year, each Kindergarten-aged child in the school was given a coat. By the third year, they were able to provide a coat for each child in the entire school. What started as a one-family ministry in a single classroom in a single school has now spread to our entire community. A simple “Note in the Pocket” can have an immeasurable impact on the life of a child when it conveys a powerful message—you are loved.
What started as a one-family ministry in a single classroom in a single school has now spread to our entire community.
2011-2019:
Official Nonprofit Status and a New Executive Director
In August 2011, Dallas Bonavita saw an announcement in her church bulletin requesting coat donations for the upcoming fall. She met with the family, listened to their story, and began envisioning a model for continuous but controlled incoming donations and outgoing clothing packages. Following a highly successful summer clothing drive, Dallas recognized that the greatest immediate need was for more storage space. Within a few weeks, she secured an offer from North Raleigh Ministries to use a small classroom in their crisis center. This is where they operated until a philanthropic businessman kindly offered a larger space.
In the spring of 2012, Note in the Pocket became an official ministry under the auspices of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, which meant that donors could receive tax benefits from clothing and monetary donations. In the meantime, we applied for our own nonprofit status, which was granted in August 2013. Dallas was then named Executive Director, and we have experienced tremendous growth in every subsequent year.
2020-2024:
Growth and Expansion
In 2020, Note in the Pocket launched our Emergency Clothing Effort in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We opened a temporary second location in May 2020 that provided additional space for volunteers and incoming clothing donations. We launched a second clothing distribution channel through our Pocket Pop Up clothing events.
In fall of 2021, we combined our two locations into a larger facility at Crossroads Fellowship Campus in Raleigh.
In the summer of 2022 we expanded into Durham County and hosted two Pocket Pop Ups in partnership with Interfaith Food Shuttle and WellCare. Additionally we piloted a program with the Durham Children’s Initiative to clothe 50 children in their program.
In 2023 we officially became a Triangle region-wide serving agency. We opened our new program location in Durham in January of 2024. We are excited to continue growing our capacity and serve the Triangle region!
Our Vision for the Future: New Partnerships, Continued Growth
Note in the Pocket now works across all 12 municipalities in Wake County and Durham County. Our future plans include increasing our community support through item-specific, high-quality, school-appropriate clothing donations, volunteer manpower, and funding to support the operation and growth of our program in an effort to continue to reach a greater number of individuals each year. In the fall of 2024 we launched a clothing distribution model that can be replicated in other counties in North Carolina and perhaps, one day, nationally.
GET INVOLVED
How YOU Can Help
Donations of money, clothing & supplies, and your time are the most valuable ways that you can support our mission. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media to learn more about what we are doing and how you can help.
GET INVOLVED
How YOU Can Help
Donations of money, clothing & supplies, and your time are the most valuable ways that you can support our mission. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media to learn more about what we are doing and how you can help.
