Celebrating 20 Years of Second Chances!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate two decades of turning clotheslines into lifelines at Second Chances’ 20th anniversary event last week! The evening was full of joy, connection, and community spirit. Guests enjoyed delicious food from Taqueria El Barrio and Bedford Cupcakes, refreshing drinks from Portico Brewing, and lively entertainment from DJ Jimi Carter and emcee Jason Mikell, WBZ meteorologist. We also shared a special preview of our new program video, produced by Cambridge Community Television — details and link below.

Honoring Our Champions
We were proud to present awards recognizing the contributions of several of the incredible people and partners who make our work possible:

• John McQuillan, Jr. and Triumvirate Environmental — for 20 years of steadfast partnership
• Korinne Manders — for her dedicated volunteer service
• Daniele Levine — for her powerful impact in our shared community

Thanks to your generosity, we raised $75,000 to help us continue providing free, high-quality clothing to people who need it most. Your support gives us the resources—and resilience—to keep showing up for our neighbors, no matter what challenges lie ahead.

As our founder and CEO reminded us, “Our well-being comes from community. From connection. From compassion. From our shared humanity. And that’s what will carry us through times of uncertainty.”

We’re especially grateful to our event sponsors—your investment strengthens our community and makes this work possible. See the full list of sponsors here.  

And a huge thank you to our committed and enthusiastic volunteers from the Junior League of Boston and Cambridge Savings Bank’s Green Team for helping everything run smoothly!

20 Years. 7,400 People. 25+ Partners. 3.2 Million Pounds.
Since 2005, Second Chances has provided free, empowering clothing to more than 7,400 individuals through 25+ trusted community partners—ensuring that everyone can show up to life feeling confident, valued, and ready for opportunity. Together with our generous community, we’ve reused and recycled more than 3.2 million pounds of clothing and textiles.

To everyone who’s been part of our journey—thank you. You’ve helped us deliver not just clothing, but dignity, strength, and hope.

Here’s to many more second chances in the years ahead.

Join us for Mend it May! Every Monday this month, we'll share easy tips and tricks on social media about how to repair and care for your clothes.

Why mend clothes? By replacing a button, fixing a seam, or sewing a tear, you increase a garment’s use by 75% and reduce its carbon emissions by 30%.* 

Repairing, re-wearing, and reusing garments rather than throwing them away prolongs their life, keeps them out of landfills, and reduces our carbon footprint—a small act of love for your clothes that has a substantial impact on the environment. 

How to get involved: 
1. Select your item(s) in need of repair
2. Commit to mending one item each week (or even just one this month)
3. Share your projects for a chance to win! We’re giving away mending kits to five randomly drawn posters who tag @SecondChancesMA and use the #MenditMay hashtag on social media. (US addresses only.)

Let’s help protect the planet together—one piece of clothing at a time.

*Source: https://www.commonobjective.co/article/why-mending-matters-fashion-s-repair-market-opportunity

In this special 20th anniversary video, Andrea Shapiro, Second Chances’ Founder and CEO, shares insights into our journey of empowering people, cultivating community, and protecting the planet over the past two decades.

Discover how, together with community partners like Transition House, we’ve been able to provide dignity, choice, and a fresh start to folks in our shared community. Norma, someone we worked with in 2008, is just one of more than 7,400 individuals Second Chances has supported over the past 20 years, made possible with the help of our generous supporters, volunteers, and community partners. 

From reducing barriers to success to fostering self-expression with every outfit, our mission is more than just clothing—it's about creating a network of neighbors supporting neighbors. We’re grateful to be able to provide free clothing to community members who are managing tight budgets, so they can achieve their professional and personal goals. Thank you to our partners like Transition House for working with us to serve neighbors in need! And special thanks to the talented staff of Cambridge Community Television for co-creating this video with us.

We hope you'll enjoy the full video at the link below.

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For 20 years, Second Chances, alongside generous donors and compassionate community partners, has removed barriers to success, empowered communities, and protected the planet - one piece of clothing at a time. Our two decades of good work pave the way for even greater impact, keeping clothing in circulation and continuing to support our neighbors.