The Clothes Closet at Holy Cross Center for Women provides free clothing for needy families.

The Holy Cross Center for Women has been providing a safe haven for poor and homeless women and their children in downtown Fresno since 1984. Sponsored by Saint Agnes Medical Center and the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the Center provides food, clothing, laundry and shower facilities, educational and job training assistance, recreational activities and medical services, as well as a peaceful respite from the street.

Depending on the time of year, an average of 600-900 women and 120-200 children use the facilities each month. In one month alone, the Center provides more than 600 articles of clothing, 690 showers, and 255 loads of laundry. No questions are asked, no explanations are required – everyone is welcome.

The women who come to the Center are predominantly young, impoverished, minority women with children. Their lives are challenged with unemployment, poverty, racism, addiction, fear, lack of education, low self-esteem, and homelessness. Some come back week after week; others come to meet a temporary need. Regardless, they are always welcome and services are free to all.

The Gathering Place provides a fenced playground and indoor learning center.

The Gathering Place

The Center's attractive, homey rooms are supplemented by an adjacent fenced playground. Children's programs are housed next door at The Gathering Place, a learning center complete with books, educational materials, toys, and computers. Staff and volunteers supervise the children's play while their mothers are free to take classes or participate in other Center programs.

Throughout the year, special activities are planned to celebrate holidays and give everyone something to anticipate. At Christmas, staff and volunteers of Saint Agnes Medical Center sponsor the Adopt-an-Angel program, providing new clothes and toys for more than 200 children from the Center. A similar program is organized each August for collecting Back-to-School supplies. Additional employees adopt children from the Center as \"Secret Pals\" and provide gifts and encouragement throughout the year.

Clients learn important job skills in the computer lab.

• morning and afternoon snacks
• breakfast, noon and evening hot meals (across the street at Poverello House)
• medical and dental treatment at the Holy Cross Clinic (Poverello House)
• networking with professional counseling and social services
• clothing and personal necessities
• educational activities
• recreational and social activities

MaryHaven

MaryHaven is an educational facility designed to help visitors become more self-sufficient. The women are taught basic skills in sewing and crafts, computers, parenting and English as a second language, as well as a variety of self-help courses including personal safety, family budgeting, and improving self-image.

The Saint Agnes Associates (a volunteer service organization) organizes several fund-raising activities each year to benefit the Holy Cross Center for Women including a fashion show and a diaper drive. 

Volunteers from the Fresno Fiber Guild assist clients with making clothes and other necessities in the Sewing Room.

How you can help:

• morning and afternoon snacks
• in-kind donations of clothing, especially for children
• school supplies
• disposable diapers
• toiletries for women (especially hotel/motel size)
• monetary donations to help support programs
• volunteering services for the clothing room, hospitality area, and The Gathering Place
• Christmas gifts for a child, family, or single homeless person
  

Holy Cross Center for Women
421 F Street
(in downtown Fresno,
across from Poverello House)

Phone:
(559) 237-3379