Belle Jenkins, 13, has spent part of her summer vacation accompanying her father to his workplace, Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett. 

She sorts through shirts, pants, socks and jackets, neatly folding and stacking clothing donations on shelves and arranging them on hangers. 

“It’s helping people out and helping my dad out at his work,” said Belle Jenkins, whose father, Chris Jenkins, serves as Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett’s chief operating officer.

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“I’ve been kind of involved in the hospital a lot more now since I’m older,” she said. “My sister and I have worked on the closet throughout the summer, and it’s been nice.” 

For several years, hospital staff have donated clothing for patients who are often discharged without being properly clothed. 

Some patients are homeless and own no clothing beyond what they wore when they landed in the hospital. Others don’t have family or friends nearby to deliver a fresh change of clothes.

And then there are the trauma patients, whose clothing is often soiled with blood or torn or cut in the ambulance or emergency room. 

“Maybe they’re coming in via ambulance, or they’re coming in for delivery or a dad is rushing a soon-to-be mom in for delivery,” Chris Jenkins said. “Anyone who crosses the threshold of our hospital, it’s our job to take care of them.”

“Maybe they’re coming in via ambulance, or they’re coming in for delivery or a dad is rushing a soon-to-be mom in for delivery. Anyone who crosses the threshold of our hospital, it’s our job to take care of them.”

Chris Jenkins
Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett’s chief operating officer

The clothes closet at Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett has existed unofficially for a couple of years, with emergency department staff bringing in clothing donations for the trauma patients they serve each day. 

“We wanted to make something more formal,” Chris Jenkins said. “We didn’t want to feel like we’re scrounging through a cardboard box.”

Jenkins credits paramedic Michael Dickerson with the idea of creating a formal clothes closet.

“The credit really goes to one of our employees who’s a paramedic in our emergency department and also participates in some of the ambulance runs around town,” Chris Jenkins said. 

The project became a family affair when Belle and her sister, Zoe Jenkins, 15, stepped in to volunteer their time over their summer vacation to help the clothes closet grow to fit the need.

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“Now there’s an actual room we’ve dedicated that has clothing hangers and shelves,” Chris Jenkins said. “My daughter will sort those ranging by size, and we even have things like toiletries. It doesn’t feel like it’s charity, but rather a service we provide.”

A list of needs is posted in the clothes closet. So far, the hospital staff has kept it stocked. 

And while they don’t accept outside donations, Jenkins encourages community members to donate to other organizations that offer clothing to those in need. 

“Our staff takes a lot of pride in the community they’re in,” Chris Jenkins said. “It’s quite likely that somebody they take care of in the emergency department is someone they could run into at the Kroger or the ball field. This is about dignity and really being a part of the community.”

Sometimes dignity comes in the form of a fresh laundered shirt, clean pants or a pair of sturdy shoes, coupled with the knowledge that someone cares enough to provide them.

“We really want to take care of people while they’re here, but it doesn’t just stop once they leave the door,” Chris Jenkins said.