Welcome to NewThreads of Hope

Janelle is a 40-year-old mother of two from Madison who has been struggling to get off  public assistance. Mary Ann from Janesville is a 25-year-old single mother of two children, ages five and one, who has been on Foodshare and medical assistance for the past five years. Howard lives in Appleton with his five children. The family is homeless and the mother is in a correctional halfway house for drug treatment. Janelle, Mary Ann, and Howard have each gone through job training and are eager to support their families and make a new life for themselves.

They know that first impressions count. And so does NewThreads. That is why the back-to-work clothing NewThreads receives from manufacturers and retailers is so valuable. It builds self-esteem and self-confidence, which translates to success. 

Janelle is now working as a health care assistant. Mary Ann was hired as a clerical records assistant, and Howard is confident that his latest interview will turn into a job offer. Their children are proud of them, and they feel good about themselves for the first time in a long time.

Javier and his family moved to Milwaukee from Mexico during the summer to be close to relatives. When the first snow of winter began to fall, Javier was so excited! His mom and dad, however, were not. When they brought Javier and his brother and sisters to Milwaukee, they came from a very different, very warm, climate. They had no winter clothing of any kind: no snow boots, no winter coats, no sweaters. 

So while Javier grew excited about playing in the snow, his parents grew anxious about how they would be able to keep the family protected against the vagaries of winter in the Midwest.

Javier’s story is not unique. NewThreads has worked with its distribution partners to make sure that Javier and his family, and the families of immigrants from areas like Somalia in Africa and Myanmar in Southeast Asia, have coats and sweaters, shoes and boots, hats and gloves. We have them covered this winter!

Sara attends her local high school. Before she arrives at her school each morning, she has to get her siblings ready and walk them to their school first, since her parents are busy working multiple jobs and still having trouble making ends meet. Outside of the typical teenage stresses, Sara also worries about having warm school clothes that she and her siblings can be proud of and that will keep them warm and focused on their studies.

NewThreads partners with many schools, including Sara’s, to provide new and stylish winter wear to thousands of students from low-income households. Sara’s family was so appreciative of the clothing items they received which are helping to ease one of the barriers of living in poverty. In fact, Sara (and many other students) even inquired whether coats could be made available to their younger siblings so they may also be protected from the cold and feel confident. 

The fact the students liked the items so much that they wanted to share with their younger siblings speaks volumes about the quality of the items provided as well as the caring concern of these high school students for their families.