Free Prom Dresses for South Jersey Students in Need — Here Are the Details

A prom dress for your daughter could cost you hundreds. But for a few days in late March, the price tag is $0 at a spot in South Jersey.

The volunteer effort Project Prom will have an estimated 1,400 dresses up for grabs, at no charge, during a three-day event at Kensington Furniture in Northfield. Accessories will also be available.

Students from Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland counties are invited, and must show valid IDs, but volunteers will not turn away students from outside the area, according to coordinator Rene Kane.

The event is geared toward students "in need," but Kane notes prom expenses can even strain households making six figures a year.

"How do you afford the prom dress, the hair and the makeup, the tanning? The ticket is $100 to $150," she said.

Working in cooperation with the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, the effort is on its third year. Kane was a volunteer for a similar but smaller operation many years ago, and reintroduced the project when she heard of a local girl in need of a dress.

"In the last two years we've given away over 1,000 dresses," she said. "Basically all the volunteers cry for three days. The girls are so grateful, the parents are so grateful."

Kensington Furniture, which donates their space for the event, has served as a storage unit for the donated dresses, which come in throughout the year from individuals and shops.

EVENT INFO

• Saturday, March 24 — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, March 25 — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, March 26 — 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. (8th graders may attend Monday session)
• Kensington Furniture — 200 Tilton Road (2nd floor), Northfield
• Must bring student I.D.