History
In 2017, Nikki and her husband were made aware of the number of children in foster care within the county they lived in and immediately felt led to become foster parents. (Over 800 children in foster care in Harrison County at the time!) While attending training, they realized the lack of resources for foster parents and decided to open a “closet” that would help supply them with necessary items for the children entering their home. Shortly after, they were introduced to another couple who, in 2015, had started a closet out of a storage unit and became partners. Fast forward to 2018, when EC became a 501(c)(3), adopted a board of like-hearted individuals, and grew from one, to two, to three storage units, into a building! We are currently moving into a new location and EC has grown to serve all family dynamics. Prevention, Reunification, Foster, etc. We continue to look forward to more ways we can expand our reach.
The story behind the name of Elijah: In 2009, one of our founders gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Elijah who passed away from Partial Trisomy 22q. Naming “The Closet” after him is our way of honoring the time he was with us and it represents the desire to make a positive difference in this world. Elijah’s time on Earth may not have been long, but it was impactful.
