Since Covid-19 hit, Jewish Family Service of Greater Hartford (JFS) has been unable to disseminate clothing to those in need through the Tara’s closet program –and is turning to the community’s teens for help in reimagining how Tara’s Closet can continue to give clients access to free clothes. 

The challenge: Working in teams, teens in grades 8 through 12 will pitch their creative and out-of-the-box ideas to a panel of “sharks.”. The winning team will win a cash prize of $200 and, more importantly, will have its plan implemented at Tara’s Closet to benefit people in need.  Teens are asked to sign up either as individuals or as part of a team by Sept. 16. Teams can have between 3-5 members.

Contestants will meet virtually to learn more about Tara’s Closet and the challenge on Sept. 23 & 30 and Oct. 14, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. 

Day 1 – Sept. 23: Teams will learn about Tara’s Closet and spend time considering ways to overcome the current the program’s dilemma. By the end of Day 1, teams will have defined the problem at hand and will be thinking of possible solutions.

Day 2 – Sept. 30: Teams will create prototypes and test their ideas to decide on one solution to present to the “sharks.” Groups will start working on their presentation for the judges.

Day 3 – Oct. 14: Teams will present their idea to the judges, who will choose the winning team.

For more information, contact cara@jtconnect.org. Sign up at jtconnect.org at Mitzvah Tank.