A group of volunteers from a Livingston-based nonprofit keeps a free clothing boutique running for some of Newark's poorest families.

The operation, called the Agape Clothing Boutique, is housed inside the Willing Heart Community Care Center at 555 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. in Newark. Volunteers Rosario Perez and William Richardson are among those who sort, organize and distribute donated clothing at no cost to families in need.

Perez, known as "Rosa," is part of a volunteer crew called the "Ladies of the Boutique." In a piece submitted to the West Essex Tribune by Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) founder and CEO Jeff Friedman, published Tuesday, Sept. 1, Perez described the center as deeply personal.

"This place feels like a second home, and the people are my second family," Perez said.

LPI is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supplies clothing, toiletries and diapers to partnering outlets in Newark, including the center. Friedman started the organization as a small coat drive from his Livingston garage more than 15 years ago. It has grown from 300 coats a year to more than a thousand, according to My Paper Online. The effort has been recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives and the State of New Jersey.

Jeff and Karen Friedman head to Newark a couple of times each week to distribute essentials. LPI partners with seven distributors to support coat drives, soup kitchens, fresh produce giveaways and winter supply runs, according to the organization's website. Friedman told News 12 New Jersey in December 2025 that while holiday generosity peaks, the need runs year-round.

The clothing boutique matters here. The Community Care Center grew out of Metropolitan Baptist Church, which has served Newark for more than 75 years, and became a separate nonprofit in June 2008. Beyond the boutique, Community Care Center's Agape Food Pantry serves more than 1,200 families a month, and its Agape Hot Meal program provides more than 6,000 meals monthly, according to the center's Benevity profile. Guests include low-income families, unemployed individuals, veterans and seniors in Newark's Central Ward.

The Agape Clothing Boutique is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Clothing donations can be dropped off at Willing Heart Community are Center Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents who want to support LPI can visit njhomeless.org or call 973-533-9336.

Upcoming: The Agape Clothing Boutique reopens each Tuesday at 10 a.m. at 555 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark.