Face to Face. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)

It’s the first few weeks into 2026, and there’s a place to take your extra coats, children’s outfits, cute shirts, and more… all while connecting with community organizations that provide essential services and programming for people in need. 

The first Community Clothing Swap, hosted by Swapadelphia, will happen on Monday, January 19, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Face to Face (123 E. Price Street).

Alex Yates, a paralegal who lives in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, had the initial idea of a clothing swap with a friend. They both had a lot of clothes and wanted to swap with other folks.

But the vision got bigger as they thought about how they could use clothing donations for organizations after the swap. Yates was inspired by a community swap she attended when she lived in Birmingham, Alabama, where they organized the swap as a fun community event and a way to support organizations that provided direct services to folks who were unhoused or housing insecure.

Swaps are fun, sustainable, and build community. 

Some Germantown neighbors have already been hosting swaps featuring clothing and other goods for many years. 

Neighbor Lottie Appel attends swaps and now hosts them seasonally in her and her partner’s space. Her most recent winter swap had friends and neighbors enjoying fire pits, children playing with bubbles, and everyone picking out different items new to them. 

She says it’s not only fun to gather community and see everyone’s different style expressions, but the swaps also reduce waste, reducing clutter in one person’s household when moving to another space of use.

“Gathering together in all weather is an unspoken way of saying ‘I care about you and I want you to have nice things that I don’t need anymore, ’” says Appel. 

Local artist and musician Birdie Busch loves attending swaps because of her love of fashion and also how economical it is. But she also points out how much clothing is out there and available, especially because of how fast fashion operates.

“There’s a lot of abundance within a community of people when it all comes together to share it,” says Busch.

Any clothing left gets donated to three direct service organizations.

Yates emphasizes that anyone can come and swap. Still,  the main goal is for clothing donations to be available afterwards for all three of her community partners: Family Promise of Philadelphia in Mt. Airy, Lutheran Settlement House in Kensington, and, of course, Germantown’s own Face to Face. 

Yates has referred past legal clients to all three of these organizations, and she says she has seen how the services they offer can be life-saving. 

Soleil Gohouré works at Family Promise as an Americorps volunteer, focusing on their outreach and communications. The organization works with local congregations to help families avoid eviction and homelessness, with programming and direct services that support each client’s specific needs. 

Gohouré says sometimes it’s the smaller donations that really help families avoid losing their homes. Children’s clothing, furniture, and food can help a family struggling to pay rent and other bills that month. 

She appreciates the way Yates reached out to see what Family Promise could benefit from after the swap. For them, baby and children’s clothing in new or good condition would really help them.

Tara Monihan, Director of Programs at Face to Face, is excited to host the swap. 

“This event is a great opportunity for our guests to take advantage of something that has never occurred at Face to Face before. It gives our guests of Face to Face and the community of Germantown a chance to shop and take what they need, especially in these uncertain times,” says Monihan. 

Yates’ secondary goal is to be able to have resource tables or information out at the swap about different organizations providing direct services, mutual aid, and other resources.

“I think it’s important for people to know that those options are there. Times of need are going to go up, but sometimes you also see them recede. And when you can either go and volunteer because you’re in a place to do that, or you know that you can go to a place and rely on someone, just knowing you have that resource is what’s important,” said Yates.

Bring clothes you would wear, but no shoes or undergarments.

The main rules? No shoes or undergarments allowed. Yates also won’t have bags available, so please bring your own.

Another big rule: if you wouldn’t wear it, don’t donate it. 

Yates says if clothes have a lot of holes in them or significant stains, don’t donate them. She did advise possibly turning them into scrap fabric for sewing projects at places like The Resource Exchange, but not for donations at the community clothing swap.

She also points out that jackets, coats, and clothes for all ages, especially children, would be great to have. 

“I don’t want this to be an event where you only go…  because it’s a clothes drive or you’re there to get clothes. I really want people to show up and give away clothes, too,” Yates said.

“You can be from any background. It doesn’t matter what your economic background is, or your age, or your neighborhood. Come to the event and connect with people. Get out of your neighborhood, go to a new place.”

Anyone is welcome to attend the swap, and it will take place at the same time that Face to Face is hosting a regular coat drive. Any coats donated to the swap will go toward the next coat drive that they do. Email swapadelphia@gmail.com for more information or any questions.