By Mark Ambrogi
Dotted Line Divas has found a new home.
The personal care pantry, whose tagline is Couponing for a Cause, will officially move Aug. 1 into Union Chapel United Methodist Church, 2720 E. 86th St., Indianapolis.
The Grand Opening Pantry Day is set from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 19. Tours of the pantry will be given.
“We want to introduce ourselves to the community,” said Tanorria Askew, vice president of the Dotted Line Divas board.
Volunteers have been cleaning and painting and building shelves for the stockpile, which Askew said includes approximately 600 bottles of shampoo.
In February the nonprofit moved temporarily into Carmel’s Mercy Road Church after its lease was up at 10411 N. College Ave.
“A lot of our families in need are in that Home Place/Carmel area, so this will make us accessible to them as well as being right off the interstate is going to help us reach more people, maybe from downtown or the Broad Ripple area,” said Askew, a Carmel resident.
As a personal care pantry, Dotted Line Divas is unique.
“Lots of families can get food stamps for support or go to food pantries, but neither one offers personal care items, things we take for granted every day like toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo and deodorant,” Askew said. “Our founder (Carmel resident Christina Huffines) was considered a family in need at one time in her life. She started couponing because she realized she couldn’t give her kids personal care items, and they were getting teased at school. She started couponing and building a stockpile. It was coming to Mercy Road and building a community that pushed her and encouraged her to start the pantry.”
Dotted Line Divas has been in existence for three years with a pantry for two years.
Askew said they knew the space at Mercy Road would just be a temporary fit because the church had other plans for the space.
For more, visit dottedlinedivas.com or the Facebook page.