Sometimes, wonderful things can spring from places of hurt.

When Chelsea Clark's sons, Amir, now 9, and Adam, now 8, were initially adopted, a lack of support led to the cancellation of a baby shower for the boys. But Chelsea turned the negative into a positive.

From a personal challenge, the Ephrata woman created a public nonprofit called Unlocked Closet.

"I wanted to do what I could to have people not feel what I felt," said Chelsea. "We started in a storage unit and quickly outgrew it. Where we're going, I don't know. I'm not in a rush to get there. I want to make sure whatever we do, we do well. Currently, we aren't doing any fundraising, but we're going to need to do it."

Unlocked Closet, which is situated at 24 Orange St., Ephrata, is like a store for foster and adoptive families, except no money ever changes hands. Operated entirely by volunteers, Unlocked Closet consists of 1,200 square feet of donated items, but Chelsea performs many of the administrative chores for the organization at home and through a Facebook page.

Unlocked Closet's hours of operation vary from week to week, but they are posted regularly on its Facebook page. Typically, the nonprofit is open for two to five hours, five or six days a week.

" 'Unlock' means we want to unlock the positivity in kids," said Chelsea. "When kids enter into foster care, they don't come with anything. When they walk into the store, we want them to feel value. We have suitcases, and we fill them. We will never send a kid out with stuff in a garbage bag."

Among the items available at Unlocked Closet are new and gently used hats, coats and clothing sized from newborn to adult 3X, diapers, toiletries, books, games, toys, bikes, balls, cleats, baby gear and seasonal items. Families must show proof of fostering or adoption to receive the goods, and a vast majority of the items have been donated - some by churches and some by families who have benefited from Unlocked Closet in the past.

"Every foster child's family receives a stipend from the county in which they live," said Chelsea. "But a lot of times, those stipends don't reach. It's not covering basic needs. We want to take off some of that financial need, and we want kids to have a sense of normalcy. We want to create a community for families. We want to fill in the gaps for the families who aren't being supported."

Last year alone, Unlocked Closet served families nearly 700 times and distributed almost 30,000 items valued at nearly $142,000. Most of the families being served reside in Lancaster, Lebanon, York and Chester counties.

There are currently about 15,000 children enrolled in the foster care system throughout Pennsylvania, and about one-third of them are available for adoption.

"It's far and wide," said Chelsea. "If somebody needs something, they can message us, and we do everything we can to get them an appointment. I just love seeing the kids light up when they walk in the store. Needs are being met before they're even known."

Unlocked Closet is staffed by 15 volunteers, the majority of whom are parents and some of whom are foster or adoptive parents.

"Every time we have someone new walk in, they tell us they need to tell a friend," said Chelsea. "So, I think the need is greater than I realize, especially in this current economic climate."

Unlocked Closet moved from a 200-square-foot storage unit to its current location in August of 2022, and a year later created a bike and outdoor toy room in a storage area there. In December of 2023, the nonprofit conducted its initial Christmas Gift event, and in October of 2024, Unlocked Closet awarded its first scholarships.

"It's getting there," Chelsea said. "We've sent out letters to churches and organizations, but we've seen very little return on that. A lot of our reach is word of mouth. Now we need a bigger space.

"Kids are valuable, and we want them to realize they're valued," she added. "That creates good humans, and we need that in the world."

For additional information, go to http://www.unlockedcloset.org.