What do a pro soccer player, a pizza deliverer, a college philosophy major and a kindergarten teacher have in common? They all got new prized pieces of vintage clothing at the Gifts & Thrifts clothing swap on January 6, 2024, sponsored by the West Chester Green Team.

Aiden McFadden, a pro soccer player from East Bradford, had the idea of recycling good quality vintage clothes, and the Green Team and the Unitarian Congregation on S. High Street in West Chester helped to make his swap dream a reality.

The swap attracted lots of donations of used clothing. One donor had 6 handmade sweaters to give. They were knitted by her mother, and she could not bear to throw them out. The clothing swap provided an alternative. The daughter handed them over and then returned at the end of the day to see if they had been chosen. Every one of them had found a new home.

This first clothing rescue was so successful that the Green Team plans a second one on April 20 as part of its Earth Day celebration and another as part of Porchfest on May 18. The photos taken by McFadden show the sale set up before shoppers arrived, a happy kindergarten teacher, and the pizza delivery man with a friend.

The purposes of the event were to keep clothing in circulation, to cut down on new clothing purchases, and incidentally to raise funds which the Green Team can always put to good use. Please stay tuned for news of our next clothing swaps. And please buy used, not new!