Michelle Camba is the general manager of the Underground Clothing Connection, located in Sunrise Mall. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - A free clothing store located in Sunrise Mall near the former United Artists Theatre, exclusively for students and their families in San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD) enrolled in its McKinney-Vento program, has reopened.

The Underground Clothing Connection store is open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursdays only by appointment, according to its manager, Michelle Camba, at 5932 Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.

Camba has been busy reorganizing the store and getting it ready for the new school year so that students can receive a free selection of clothing from the Underground Clothing Exchange twice a year.

Interested students and their families can contact the McKinney-Vento liaison at the San Juan Unified School District at 916-979-8794 or email [email protected] to enroll in the program or to check their eligibility status.

According to Camba, clothing from the Underground Clothing Connection is offered to San Juan Unified School District families and local families enrolled in the McKinney-Vento program who are in financial need and receive some form of social services, families who are unhoused or in unstable housing, and foster youth and families escaping violence.

“I learned that Citrus Heights HART was looking for a volunteer who would be able to manage the store and I welcomed the opportunity to help,” she said.

Camba has since reorganized the store’s inventory and has added new signage to describe the specific clothing choices that students and their parents can make.

“It takes a village and I'm so thankful for mine,” Camba said. “With just a handful of nine, hard-working, dedicated volunteers, they helped complete my new vision for the store.”

Camba also volunteers her time with the Sacramento Food Bank and the North Highlands Christian Food Ministry.

The Underground Clothing Connection opened in November 2020. This past March, a sign posted on the door notified the public that the store had permanently closed.

“We were closed briefly this spring to reorganize,” Camba said. “There was concern for a time that we might also be losing our lease in the mall and I am very grateful that Kathilynn Carpenter, executive director of Sunrise MarketPlace (SMP), reached out to help us renegotiate the terms of our lease, so we stay in Sunrise Mall.”

Citrus Heights Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART)’s goal is to make the Underground Clothing Connection store a more sustainable operation, according to Camba.

“The store was just overwhelmed by demand,” Carpenter said. “It’s a valuable resource for many in the community.”

Favorable lease terms, which include all store fixtures, were recently re-negotiated with Namdar Corporation, Sunrise Mall owners, Carpenter said.

“We were serving way too many people and it got out of hand,” Camba said. “There’s no doubt that the demand for clothing by those in need we could serve is there. All too often, we had a line outside the door when we were open.”

Camba created a new receiving area to accept donations and works with a three-person volunteer staff to get inventory onto the store’s display racks quickly.

Since reopening by appointment, Camba estimates that she has been able to serve between 20 and 30 clients.

Individual signs on each clothing rack describe the quantities and type of clothing students and their families can choose from. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

Donated items needing minor repairs such as replacement buttons or zippers are set aside for further repairs when possible, according to Camba.

“Our customers can now shop for what they need and want. All of the donated clothing which we receive is inspected, put on hangers and placed out on the floor quickly,” Camba said.

The Underground Clothing Connection store does not have dressing rooms or restrooms but customers are welcome to return their choices on the following Thursday if needed.

“The need for volunteers to help store clothes and assist customers on just one day a week from the Citrus Heights community remains very strong,” Camba said. “We just can’t do it without the public’s ongoing support and its clothing donations.”

Camba said she’s also actively working on outreach efforts to the greater Citrus Heights community for both donations and volunteer support, which dropped off when the Underground Clothing Connection store had temporarily closed.

She is networking with representatives of Single Mom Strong, the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce and other local community service groups to seek store volunteers.

Volunteer opportunities at the Underground Clothing Connection Store are also posted online on the Citrus Heights Volunteer Hub, a new city web link. Interested volunteers can visit citrusheightsvolunteers.net to learn more about the store and then sign up.

Camba said volunteers act as store staff.

“We welcome help one shift per week or per month,” she said.

For more information or to donate, call 916-969-9404, visit https://citrusheightshart.org/programs/underground-clothing-connection or email [email protected].