Clothing the poor [The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa]

Oct. 19--Joy Jackson has a storage locker full of used clothing she wants to give to the needy. Now all she needs is a building that will hold it all.

Jackson was the director of Seventh Day Adventist Community Services, which provided free clothing to area families for almost 60 years in the church basement. The center was open every Tuesday until about two months ago, when it was closed down due to funding issues.

"The church wants to try some other things to reach out to the needy," Jackson said. "We have a great church family, and they have some good ideas."

Though Jackson remains a loyal member of the church, she doesn't want to give up the clothing center. That's why she's starting her own.

"There are people in need, and there are a lot of kids. We gave away about 300 to 400 coats a year, and I would like to find a place to fill the need," she said.

Starting her own charity clothing organization isn't going to be easy, but Jackson is ready for the challenge. The first thing she has to do is find a temporary building to operate out of. Then she has to get liability insurance and money for heating and cooling costs. Jackson also needs to form a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which is an elongated process that usually takes several months.

Though she has longtime volunteers who want to help out, Jackson will man the operation by herself.

"The financial part is going to be the most difficult," she said. "I'm learning how to do Internet marketing."

Jackson was in charge of the Seventh Day Adventist clothing center for about eight years, and her late mother, Janice, ran the center for 30 years before that. The center gave away about 50,000 items a year, and more than 100 people visited the center every week for their daily needs. That included shoes, bedding, towels and hygiene products.

"I've seen people bring in a baby with no blanket and no socks in the middle of winter. There's a lot of kids in need," she said.

Jackson's new center will be called Dare 2 Love and will be in honor of her mother, who instilled that drive to help others at a young age.

"Mom was someone who had a deep heart for people," Jackson said. "She loved people."

Jackson was raised in central Iowa and moved to Burlington with her parents about 35 years ago. She worked at Precision Resistive Products in Mediapolis until 2004, and that's when she heard the call to start her own ministry.

Jackson's ministry, called OHMY -- Organization 4 Health Music and Youth -- teaches health principles and music media outreach for youth and young adults. Jackson used to teach vegetarian cooking classes, and the clothing center is only a part of her ministry.

"I got that name in a dream about 18 years ago. God gave me that name. I knew what I was going to be doing. I was just waiting for him to open doors," she said.

Jackson is not married and has no children and plans to devote her entire life to the ministry and the clothing center. She's still receiving regular clothing donations and doesn't want them to sit around unused.

"Within the next year, I want a permanent building," she said.

Jackson plans on starting a clothing drive in the near future, and anyone who wants to donate or help with the new clothing center can call her at (319) 237-2204.

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