05/20/2026
Every "new stuff" matters.
Every small joy matters.
Every gift of dignity matters.
Every moment of being seen matters.
"One evening, I helped gather supplies for a sibling set of three who had just come into care with nothing. They arrived as I packed duffel bags with all the basics.
The oldest girl walked through the door, stopped, and squealed. The caseworker and I were startled at first, thinking something might be wrong. But the girl just turned to her younger sister with a huge smile. 'Look! They have clothes with tags!' The two of them lit up, rushing to the racks, laughing and pulling out dresses and shoes, amazed that something new could be theirs.
Their little brother found a football and sat off to the side, rolling his eyes with a dramatic, 'Girls!' I couldn’t help but laugh.
After a while, the girls began to settle down a bit, and we were able to help them sort through their extensive pile of clothes to find the ones that would fit. The little brother excitedly gathered his own things. Soon, they were heading to their foster home.
As they bounced into the car, I wondered how three kids who had endured so much could be so full of joy. The oldest girl turned to me in the parking lot, shouting, 'Thank you for the new stuff!'
In that simple but powerful moment, the caseworker and I shared a laugh and a silent understanding that this is likely the first time these kids have ever owned anything new 'with tags.'
I returned home with a renewed sense of gratitude for our donors who buy new clothes for The CALL Mall, gifting these kids dignity and the knowledge that they are worthy of 'clothes with tags.'
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
Donate: thecallinarkansas.org/donate