Fraternity gives away suits as way to support men

Men of all ages around Jacksonville may be looking a little sharper after this weekend.

The local branch of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity teamed up with Sandy Run Missionary Baptist church Saturday to hold a men’s suit giveaway — complete with accessories including dress shirts, ties and loafers.

The president of the fraternity chapter, Melvin Wooding of Jacksonville, said that unlike many giveaways, this one was completely free, except for a few dollars spent on dry cleaning.

“A lot of us have suits in the house that we can’t wear anymore,” he said.

The church and fraternity sent out a two-week appeal for donated new and gently used suits, and received “well over a hundred,” Wooding said.

These were arranged on racks inside one of the church buildings, still wrapped from the cleaners, with sizes from children’s to talls clearly marked. For those who came by Saturday morning, the result was a free shopping spree, without limit to how many items you could try on or take home.

One church member, James Mooney Jr., of Jacksonville, combed through the racks, assisted by fraternity members, trying on various somber suit jackets before settling on something with a little more pizzazz: a deep purple pinstriped suit, with bright white dress shirt, black shoes and a tie.

“I usher at church,” Mooney said. “I’ll wear this to church in the morning.”

Jeremy Pickett, a Jacksonville resident who is a freshman in high school, quickly settled on a dark suit with textured fabric.

“Suits are expensive,” Pickett said. “I’m growing still and I need more suits.”

Pickett said he planned to wear his new acquisition to church and school banquets and other events.

For a man to own a nice suit, “it can affect somebody’s life,” Wooding said.

Suits, he said, can help people get job interviews, prepare for college, or simply look nice for a night on the town.

“It’s a way for us to give back to the community,” he said.

Other projects the fraternity has executed in the community include highway cleanups and scholarship giveaways, he said, all in the name of embodying the group’s core values: manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift.

The pastor of Sandy Run Church, Rev. Joel Churchwell, said the men he’d spoken to who had received suits were “very appreciative.”

“We’re going to try to embark on this at least annually,” Churchwell said.

And while this was just a first giveaway, Wooding said the plan was to expand the drive to women’s suits in the future.

At the end of the morning event, some suits remained on the racks. But, Wooding said, nothing would go to waste. Next Saturday, they plan to hold another giveaway, from 10 a.m. to noon.

For more information, contact Sandy Run Missionary Baptist Church at 910-346-4840.