Free children’s
clothing in Newark.
No questions asked.
Common Threads is a children’s clothing closet in the basement of Woodlane Community
Church.
Everyone’s welcome to come shop. Everything is free, and we’ll never ask what you earn
or where you live.
We’re open:
- 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, 9am to noon
- Woodlane Community Church (opens in new tab)
Come shop.
It’s all free.
Clothes, coats, socks, underwear. All of it free, always!
We don’t ask
questions.
No income or residency
requirements, no paperwork.
We don’t even need your name.
Take one bag
per child.
Bring the kids along! They’re welcome to pick out their own clothes.
in the winter.
still in the package.
The story
Somebody noticed kids needed clothes.
Common Threads started in 2017 with two women from Newark, a pile of donated clothes, and a borrowed room at Park Presbyterian Church. Bethany Comella had the idea. She mentioned it to Sarah Humphrey, and then texted her later that day to say they should actually do it.
They ran pop-up shops out of church halls for a year. In March 2018, Woodlane Community Church offered them the basement, and Common Threads has been there ever since. It’s still free, still open to anyone, and still run by volunteers.
Bethany passed in January 2024. Sarah wrote this on the Facebook page:
“Common Threads wouldn’t exist without Bethany. It was her idea, she saw the need, voiced it and we worked together to make it happen. She took a step back during her illness but she always knew what was going on. She will be deeply missed.”
Nine years in,
and the racks are still full.
From our last count in 2025:
- 339Shoppers came through the door.
- 313Bags of clothing went home.
- 236Coats went out the door.
- 257Packages of new socks and underwear went home.
One back-to-school evening in August 2026:
40 bags, 40 coats and 125 packages of socks and
underwear, in 1.5 hours!
Here’s how you can help.
Bring
clothes.
Children’s clothing from newborn to youth 18, new or gently used. Coats are always welcome! Drop them off any Saturday we’re open.
Send socks
and underwear.
We can’t take these secondhand, so they’re always the first thing to run out. A pack from our Amazon wish list (opens in new tab) is the single most useful thing you can buy for our community.
Give
money.
Every dollar buys new socks and underwear, keeps the insurance paid, and gets the lot plowed so the door stays open all winter.
Give a
Saturday.
Two people cover a shift, and we’d love the company. If you can spare a morning, we’ll show you the ropes.
Before you load the car:
We can’t take used socks, underwear or shoes. And we’re one small room, so sometimes we’re full. It’s worth checking our Facebook (opens in new tab) before a big carload.
Visit us!
5694 Wood Lane,
Newark
Common Threads is in the basement of Woodlane Community Church. Come in, head down the stairs and to the left.
We’re open:
- 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, 9am to noon
- Woodlane Community Church (opens in new tab)
We close for holiday weekends and the occasional snowstorm, and we always post closings on Facebook (opens in new tab). Can’t make a Saturday? Message us and we’ll set something up.
5694 Wood Lane,
Newark, NY
