Giving 25 years of respect for homeless of Fort Smith

Clyde Chaney and wife Betty teach golden rule, never judge those they serve

Published: June 20, 2015

By Maryanne Meyerriecks
Fort Smith Correspondent

Maryanne Meyerriecks

Clyde Chaney, 85, director of the Golden Rule Clothes Closet in Fort Smith, organizes men’s clothing June 9.

Maryanne Meyerriecks

Clyde Chaney, 85, director of the Golden Rule Clothes Closet in Fort Smith, organizes men’s clothing June 9.

FORT SMITH — When the homeless and poor of Fort Smith need help, they often turn to Clyde Chaney.

Chaney, director of the Golden Rule Clothes Closet, was called on most recently when the Arkansas River crested at 33 feet May 25, flooding Fort Smith’s Harry E. Kelley Park. The homeless community living there lost all their possessions.

“Everything they owned was washed down the river,” Chaney said. “Some of them slept in the Clothes Closet’s backyard, and I helped a few get motel rooms. A friend brought over four tents, four sleeping bags and eight crates filled with things they might need. There are about 150 homeless people in Fort Smith and almost 40, including veterans, live by the river.”

Chaney, an energetic 85-year-old member of Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith, works six days a week, collecting donated items in an old pick-up and managing a part-time staff and court-ordered volunteers Chaney calls “jailbirds.”

“We give everything away for free,” he said. “Customers can get three sets of clothing each quarter, and we keep track of what each person receives.”

The building, neatly organized in four rooms, is packed with clothing for men, women and children; household goods; small appliances, bedding; some furniture and toys. There is never a problem with excess inventory; Chaney estimates that, using IRS guidelines, the Clothes Closet gave away $800,000 worth of merchandise last year.

“My wife Betty started the Clothes Closet in 1991 at Immaculate Conception Church,” Chaney said. “It was located in old St. Anne’s School until 1995, when First National Bank donated this building to us. I helped Betty on weekends until I retired 15 years ago, and we worked together full-time ever since.”

Betty Chaney, who is now retired and in poor health, set up a school uniform exchange for Fort Smith’s Catholic schools, and now each area school has its own little clothes closet.

“Betty grew up in Poteau as one of seven children,” Chaney said. “Her father was a coal miner and her mother was a garment worker. She always had a heart for helping the community. Since we’ve retired, we just give everything away.”

Chaney’s daughter Cindy Ward works at the desk during the store’s operating hours, and his two surviving children, nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren help when they can. During Lent Chaney, a former grand knight of the Knights of Columbus, and a few grandchildren fry catfish for Council 996 in return for a donation to the Clothes Closet. Immaculate Conception and Christ the King churches and the Presbyterian Women send monthly checks to help support the organization. Immaculate Conception Deacon Greg Pair collected tents to help the homeless men.

In May, Augustina “Teter” Lovoi passed away, and her family decided to hold a sock drive for the Clothes Closet each year in her memory.

“At her funeral her family tied socks to the flower arrangements,” Chaney said. “Last week they presented us with 510 pairs of socks.”

In spite of support from local parishes and area Catholics, the Clothes Closet struggles to meet its monthly expenses.

“We don’t use computers to keep track of our customers,” Ward said. “All of our records are in two file cabinets. We have files with each family’s name and have gotten to know many of them personally over the years. We don’t do a lot of paperwork. We ask for some form of ID with a name and picture. We’ve accepted passports from every country and state as ID. We’re here to give away clothes — not to judge anybody.”

“I’ve had people drive up in Cadillacs and ask for clothes,” he said. “If they’re lying, that’s between them and God. We can’t judge another family’s situation. They might have lost their jobs or have hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills.”

Donations can be dropped off or mailed to Golden Rule Clothes Closet, 212 N. 3rd Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901. For more information, call (479) 783-8150.