Costume Vault ensures no child misses out on Halloween fun

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - In 2019, Molly Williams saw a need in her community.

“My daughter said somebody in her class wasn’t going to be able to dress up because they couldn’t afford a costume, and that broke my heart,” she explained. “And I was like, we have to do something about this.”

But Williams isn’t just a mother. She is also the Executive Director of the Raleigh County Parks and Recreation Authority. And when she learned that children in Raleigh County were going without Halloween costumes, she knew she could help.

So, she created a costume vault where families and children could shop through donated costumes.

For free.

“We saw that there was a need,” Williams stated. “No other organization or agency was doing anything like this. We went ahead and started it in 2019, and it’s been growing ever since.”

In 2021, Williams said the vault gave out more than 100 costumes. But the need is growing.

“We gave away 32 just yesterday, so if this is any kind of trend, this year it will be over 100 as well.”

Matthew Lahn is a father of five. On Monday, the vault’s first day open this year, he was there with two of his children. He says the Costume Vault has made a huge impact on his family’s Halloween.

“Honestly, they just enjoy coming over here and looking through all of them,” he said of his son and daughter. “It’s like Christmas...You know, it’s fantastic. It’s a good thing they do for the community. I mean, some people can’t afford costumes. Some people have many kids like I do...”

The Costume Vault will be set up at different locations every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. leading up to Halloween.

The schedule is as follows:

Dry Hill Prosperity Park (191 Mollohan Dr. Beckley – Right off of Dry Hill Road) October 3rd, 4th, and 5th

RCPRA Main Office (116 Heber St. Beckley – First Floor of Commission Building) October 10th, 11th, and 12th

Raleigh County 4 H Camp (200 Martin St. Daniels – near Little Beaver State Park) October 17th, 18th, and 19th

Lake Stephens (Pavilion – 1400 Lake Stephens Rd, Surveyor) October 24th, 25th, 26th

As for costumes, Williams says they are still taking donations. They are currently accepting all children’s sizes and even adult costumes. Donations can be dropped off at any of the aforementioned locations.

Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.