09/20/2026
Yesterday, we had a scheduled appointment at Outfitters for a great-grandmother who had recently taken kinship care of her two great-grandsons, ages 13 and 6.
She was an amazing woman who stepped up for her great-grandchildren and now needs some of the resources we provide. When you take a moment to truly look someone in the eye, you can often see their soul and you clearly could see hersāa beautiful, caring soul that told us everything we needed to know.
Her oldest great-grandson accompanied her. From the moment they walked through our doors, they showed one another mutual respect, love, kindness, and appreciationābefore they had selected a single free item.
We showed Great-Grandma where the size 6 clothing was located, while directing her oldest great-grandson to the teen boysā area. He had already walked through the store, looking at every rack.
When he finished shopping, he walked back to her side and helped her select clothing for his younger brother.
While looking through the older boys selections, it was noticed that he had shirts but no shorts or pants. When asked, āWhere are your pants and shorts?ā He quietly said he could not find anything.
We knew there was plenty to choose from, so we decided to take a second look. It did not take long to understand the problem: he did not know his size. He had only worn elastic-waist pants. He was shown several options, and he selected about 10 pairs of shorts. We directed him to the dressing room where he could try everything on and look in the full-length mirror.
While bagging the items he had already chosen. Something was noticed that we have seen before with many students who shop at Outfitters: shirts selected based on what they like, rather than what fits. He had selected adult medium and large shirts, although he was clearly a menās 2X.
We were thrilled when he came out of the dressing room with five pairs of shorts that fit. Then he was gently asked about the mixed shirt sizes. In a soft voice, almost as though he did not want his Nana to hear, he said:
āI have never shopped like this before, where I get to pick out my own clothes. I donāt know what sizes I wear. My clothes have always been given to me or were hand-me-downs.ā
Think about those words for a moment.
This child had never shopped for himself before. He was 13 years old.
Whether it was the humbleness in his quiet voice or simply the weight of his words, something shifted within me. We were reminded once again: this is exactly why Marjorieās Hope does what we do for children and families in need in Pasco County.
Thank you to Pasco County Schools and Dr. Chris Dunning, Principal of Wendell Krinn Technical
High School and WK staff (who do sooo much for us) for providing Marjorieās Hope the space to serve Pasco County students. Every family is financially vetted before becoming eligible to shop free of charge.
The photos posted are not of the family in this story. They are photos of previous teen boys shopping together and offer a visual of the clothing our teen shoppers can take home.
Finally, thank you to the Leadership Pasco Class of 2025 for awarding Marjorieās Hope your Community Impact Grant. You listened to our vision during our presentation, and rest assured: we are honoring that investment and sustaining the responsibility that came with it.
