On two Friday June afternoons, groups of Xenium employees volunteered at Project Lemonade, a nonprofit organization that provides Oregon foster children with back-to-school clothing free of charge. Every fall, Project Lemonade sets up a shop full of clothing, backpacks, shoes, coats, and other accessories. When the youth arrive, they are assisted by a personal shopper in selecting clothing that fits them—their taste, personality, and style. The goal is to help youth feel confident and excited to return to school each fall.
Rhonda Meadows, one of Xenium’s Senior HR Business Partners and the founder of Project Lemonade, describes the store on opening day, saying, “It is a happy place! We serve 
lemonade when the kids walk in, check them in, act as their personal shopper, help the kids select the perfect clothing and pair of shoes, and at checkout give them new socks and underwear. Many of the kids have been in the foster care system for a long time and really look forward to the shopping event! We see a lot of the same kids each year—with over 13,000 kids in foster care in our state, we are now serving eight counties. Volunteers love the experience because it’s great to give back to kids who were removed from their home very suddenly without any idea of whether or when they will be able to return home.”
Naturally, setting up an entire store to serve 1,700 youth is no small task. Xenium volunteers helped on two Friday afternoons to sort and tag clothing and shoes. The work entailed removing tags from the items, untying and re-tying shoes so they’ll be easier for the youth to try on, removing stuffing from shoes and bags, arranging clothing and shoes by size, labeling items according to size, and taking an inventory of the sizes of items before storing them in boxes. Both productive afternoons were full of laughter and fun!
Project Lemonade has experienced tremendous growth since it was founded in 2011. The number of youth served by the program has grown by 5,000 in the past three years. Currently, 400 volunteers support the program. “We could not do it without all of the kind and thoughtful volunteers!” says Rhonda. “I think the number of volunteers has grown because it is a feel-good project. We are making Lemonade together as a community.”
The future is looking bright for Project Lemonade. They are looking for a permanent space for the shop, instead of moving the store to a new location each year as they have done in recent years. They are also adding a mentorship program, funding for youth to attend camps and take classes, and paid internships for foster youth to work in our store and learn about the interview process and holding a job.
As a volunteer-run non-profit, Project Lemonade is always in need of support. If you or your company would like to volunteer your time or resources, visit the Project Lemonade website to find out how to offer financial support, donate items to the store, provide other assistance to the project, or volunteer yourself!
“A young man named Anthony who aged out of the foster care system, meaning he turned 18 and was never adopted, has shopped at our store for the last three years,” said Rhonda. “This is what he says about Project Lemonade: As a foster kid all you want to do is fit in. With new clothes and shoes for school, you feel just like everyone else. It feels good.”
Xenium Volunteers at Project Lemonade
