On Sunday at the National Guard Armory in Lawrence, The Rescue Mission of Trenton broke the Guinness World Record for the most clothing items donated. Watch video
LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP - The Rescue Mission of Trenton broke the world record for donated clothing items Sunday, tallying nearly 180,000 items.
Starting on Thursday Oct. 12, the mission - with help from Rider University students, local businesses, organizations and residents - counted 179,550 clothing items at the National Guard Armory in Lawrence.
A Guinness representative was at the armory to confirm The Rescue Mission had surpassed the world record of 153,240 clothing items for donation.
"It was just a wonderful experience," the mission's Chief Operating Officer Barrett Young said. "Especially to see the community come together for a good cause and a good organization."
Young said throughout October and up until Nov. 15, the Mission called on residents, businesses and organizations to donate unwanted clothes to more than 100 locations throughout New Jersey and in parts of Pennsylvania.
The previous record of 153,240 was set by Comfort and Omo brands of Unilever FZE in the United Arab Emirates. Word spread largely through social media about The Rescue Mission's goal to break it.
"We had religious groups, businesses sponsors, the Boys Scouts participate," Young said. "You name it, they did it."
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He said one little boy of around the age of 10 even dragged his mother out to the armory over the weekend to donate items and help count clothes after seeing reports of what the Mission was doing on a Philadelphia television news station.
"He said 'how can I help?'" Young said. "And he stayed for two or three hours counting clothes. There was no walking in this room without counting."
The idea to break the Guinness World Record was thought up by board member Leslee Geltzer in a way to celebrate the Mission's 100th anniversary.
"The whole year has been awesome," the mission's Executive Director Mary Gay Abbott-Young said.
Abbott-Young said in addition to the clothing drive, there was a miniature golf outing and a "Wall of Fame" ceremony where key people in the Rescue Mission's history were honored.
"This was just a great way to wrap up the year," Young said.
Abbott-Young said the record could never have been broken without the support of the community and Princeton's nonprofit HomeFront who allowed the clothes to be stored at its facility until the count took place at the armory.
"They were the key to our success," Abbott-Young said.
The next process will be moving the mounds of clothes piled high to the ceiling of the armory to shelters.
"At first we thought, 'Yes, this is going to be a challenge but we're up for it,'" Abbott-Young said. "But then we said 'can we get it all counted?' And 'how are we moving it?'"
Young said a friend of the mission is bringing his 48-foot tractor trailer to help haul the mountain of clothes to shelters. Over a period of three and a half days, the counting was done by hundreds of volunteers who sorted clothes into bags of 25 items.
After the trailer comes, a tired Young said he is "taking a long nap."
Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.