DOWAGIAC — Fresh, warm clothing will be available to hospital patients that need them, thanks to a recent donation by a Dowagiac organization.

Local nonprofit organization St. Francis Outreach recently donated $600 worth of clothing to Ascension-Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital. The 80 pieces of clothing, including sweatpants, sweatshirts and socks, will be given to hospital patients that may need them to leave the hospital.

“Sometimes, when people come in, through no fault of their own, their clothes get cut off, or they are stained and thrown out, and [the patients] don’t have proper clothing to go home in,” said St. Francis Outreach volunteer Donna Dodd. “So, the hospital asked us if we would step forward and donate the clothing for them.”

The partnership between St. Francis Outreach and the hospital began in spring 2017. Since then, the organization has been donating clothing to the hospital on a regular basis.

“Patients that would come in for surgery, for many reasons their clothing was not appropriate to go home in,” said Jeanne Jourdan, of St. Francis Outreach. “We took over that responsibility.”

According to Dodd, St. Francis Outreach is happy to give back to the hospital through clothing.

“This is our way of giving back to the community,” Dodd said. “We are so lucky to have a hospital in such a small town. … This is a community action. We are always looking for something we can do in the community.”

Donating clothing to the hospital is just one part of what St. Francis Outreach does, both Dodd and Jourdan said. The organization also donates food to local food pantries and provides backpacks of meals to local school children, among other events and activities.

“We have a wonderful group,” Dodd said. “We love to give back to the community wherever we can. … It’s such a wonderful feeling to be able to be a part of this and give back.”

For Ascension-Borgess Lee’s part, hospital representatives said they were grateful for the clothing donation and the continued support of organizations like St. Francis Outreach.

Kirk Flowers, educator at Ascension-Borgess Lee, added that patients are grateful to receive the clothing donations, as well.

“[The clothing donation] really helps a lot of our patients,” Flowers said. “We are grateful for [St. Francis Outreach]. … It’s awesome to have the community’s support. This community always rallies around each other. It’s great.”