DCF offers free prom dresses and tuxedos to families

There are racks of free prom dresses inside The Shoppes at Buckland Hills ready to be picked up.

“Really there is every size and every style so I believe that all young girls will find something they love here,” DCF Community Outreach Coordinator Jacqueline Ford said.

It’s all part of a new initiative by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF). A storefront located on the second floor has been previously used to collect and distribute household items, but now it has transitioned into a prom store.

“This is one of the positive things we are so very proud of, that families who have an open case or somehow involved with us can have a free store to come to because we understand what they are going through and we really want them to have an opportunity to have some normalcy in their lives,” DCF Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly said.

A dress can range in price between $50 and $600. The department’s goal is to break down any financial barriers while providing families with a sense of dignity.

“Every youth who wants to go to prom should have the opportunity to go to prom and not have the cost of a gown or cost of bid be a barrier for them,” Ford said.

There are also a few tuxedos, but more donations are needed.

 “We really wanted this to be inclusive for both boys and girls attending their prom,” Ford said.

Donations can be dropped off at Liquid Nirvana in Glastonbury, Avon and Farmington, Marcie’s Angels Cat Café in Glastonbury and Stella Rose Vintage in Preston.

Starting on Wednesday, any family or teenager who has an open or recently closed case with DCF can pick out prom attire at the store by appointment.

High school junior Reilly Bard is a longtime advocate of DCF and its programs. She said the new initiative can make a difference in the lives of so many students.

“It alleviates such a financial burden for people, and they can really just go to an event, create lasting memories and look their best on the day.  For me, for prom, I want to look the best and take all the best pictures, so it allows for youth to have that opportunity as well,” Reilly Bard, of Southington, said.

The department also hopes to expand the program to students at inner-city schools.

“We are working with our superintendent at DCF to connect with superintendents of the inner-city schools to see how we could support those youth,” Ford said.

For more information on the program or to make an appointment, contact Jacqueline Ford at jacqueline.ford@ct.gov