MUNCIE, Ind. — Most food drives, donations and clothing giveaways take place inside of an establishment or building. Emili Marling does just that with a twist– her charity takes place right beside the comfort of her home.
After celebrating 17 years in August, Emili’s Closet is determined to provide basic needs to families all over Indiana.
“No one should not have shoes on their feet, no one should not have clothes, no one should not have food in their bellies, and that taught me a lot– this is what I need to do,” Emili explained.
Emili has always been a giving person; her most involved act of giving was through Souls for Soles, a non-profit organization that donates shoes globally. After the chapter for her area closed, there was an unexpected knock at her door.
“I took my dog out to the potty, and I had this big black bag there, and I'm like ‘what is this?’ and it's a bag full of clothes,” Emili said.
One bag led to two that afternoon, and Emili officially found what she was destined to do. Marling is no stranger to struggle, which drives her to be charitable and give back to the community.
“My husband was in a tragic accident and lost his leg and I had four little ones at the time. And we needed help ourselves, I had three in diapers,” she said.
Nearly 40% of Indiana residents lack basic needs, and that number continues to grow as unemployment rates increase. Emili is working to bridge that gap and instills her attitude of community service into her children.
Jaxon Marling, Emili’s youngest son, finds himself in random acts of kindness.
“Sometimes I'll see people in need and I'll catch myself rather than giving them a jacket, if I have a snack or an energy drink,” Jaxon said.
Emili’s family always assists her in preparing for her bi-weekly food drives, holiday drives, and collaborations with other non-profit organizations. The items are endless at Emili’s Closet, and her drives are open to everyone in the community. For more information about the location for Emili’s Closet, visit her Facebook page @emili’scloset
Contact Kahmara Munn with comments at Kahmara.munn@bsu.edu.
