At the Lamorinda Care Collective, those in need are welcome to take what they need this holiday season. Garvin Thomas reports.
The Lamorinda Care Collective started from a simple idea less than two months ago and has already turned into a pop-up boutique in Lafayette. It offers free clothing, household goods and other essentials to those in need this holiday season.
The store was the idea of Maya Enista-Smith, who has extensive experience in nonprofit work. This endeavor, however, is special for her.
"This store is the best thing I've ever done. After my marriage and my children, this has been the most meaningful experience of my life," she said.
The boutique was born from a surge of inspiration that Enista-Smith had on the morning of Nov. 6.
“I woke up at 4 a.m. the morning after the election and had an idea,” Enista-Smith said. “I needed to be spurred into action, into hopeful action.”
In previous years, Enista-Smith had hosted a donation drive called "Do Gooder Garage" at her home. But this time, she felt compelled to do more for her community, especially during the holidays.
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In a matter of weeks, Enista-Smith quickly mobilized her network to bring her vision to life.
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She secured a vacant storefront from Diamond Builders, enlisted local volunteers and reached out to social service organizations to help spread the word to those in need. She also launched a Facebook campaign to solicit donations.
However, the need was overwhelming. Shortly after opening, the boutique's stock began to run low, leaving Enista-Smith worried they wouldn’t have enough to meet the demand. After expressing her worries online, she was bombarded with donations.
“I just sort of sat here and looked at the mountain of donations, sat on that chair and cried,” Enista-Smith said.
Despite being put together quickly, the boutique doesn't feel like a typical charity project. The Lamorinda Care Collective looks like any ordinary store.
“Every single person who watches this can do this exact thing. There's nothing special about me. There's nothing special about Julie,” Enista-Smith said. “There's nothing special about this idea. It exists in many different places, and it should exist everywhere.”
