We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shenita Moore. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shenita below.

Shenita, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Children’s Clothing Giveaway, Inc. is more than a non-profit. We harness the power of our community to provide new and gently used clothing, shoes, books, toys, etc. to children in low income, displaced, homeless and foster families among us. Children’s Clothing Giveaway, Inc. started as a clothing swap (at Crenshaw Church of Christ in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles), amongst a group of mothers with small children. As one of the brainchild’s and members of this group, I became responsible for the leftover items. I would donate the items to other local charities, with no insight on how or if they were distributed within the community.
So, I decided to take matters into my own hands by creating a 100% donation-based, volunteer-run bi-annual event, in which the items would be given directly to families in the Los Angeles Area that needed them most, free of charge. With the generous donations of the community and consistent referrals from local schools, social workers and other non-profit organizations, CCG has served hundreds of families at each of our spring, fall and holiday events in the early years – and now year around with our weekly appointments!

Our new initiative shines a spotlight on CCG efforts over the last 10 years, which have kept tens of thousands of items out of California landfills, helping to create a more sustainable future for us all!

Shenita, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born a “military brat” on an air force base just outside of Miami, Fl in the mid 70’s. When I was just 12 years old, my family settled in a quiet suburb of Albuquerque, NM. It was in Albuquerque that I began my acting career. I worked in stage productions throughout high school and college; enjoying a short stint at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, before returning to the southwest, to pursue my Theater degree at the University of New Mexico.

In the fall of 1997, I made the move to Los Angeles, CA with a group of fellow actors. Upon my arrival, I quickly submersed myself in the local theater scene, did background work and acted in student, independent and short films. After securing my first commercial agent, it was my work in the 1999 BabyCal commercial that gave my acting talent to a larger audience. While being a 30 second spot, the performance was demanding, very touching, and came with an immediate response. It proved to be the California Prenatal Program’s most effective outreach. The BabyCal spot rolled into radio where my voice-over talents were discovered. The campaign aired for three years, and was my first taste of fame, as people would often stop me on the street to discuss the commercial’s impact.

With a professional career that expands over 25 years, I have seen most of my success happen on the small screen: in a coveted recurring role on the ABC hit drama Grey’s Anatomy (in its early years) and co-starring roles on multiple television shows, such as Pam & Tommy, Bob Hearts Abishola, The Rookie, The Lincoln Lawyer and American Crime, to name a few.

In years past, I have used my influence to raise funds for various local non-profits. In 2017 I saw the launch of my own Los Angeles non-profit called Children’s Clothing Giveaway, Inc, which provides new and gently used clothing for children and their families, free of charge. CCG is a partnership effort with my husband Todd Moore and is described as “the link between those who want to give and those who need to receive.”

With all that I have on my plate professionally, I enjoy spending downtime with family (which includes my 2 Boston Terriers), traveling the world and helping my daughter’s Taya Morgan (Visual Art and Animation) and Kenyah (Makeup and Fashion), cultivate their own unique paths in the wonderful world of arts!

I have a solid commitment and love for this profession, and as much of my previous work continues to air in syndication and across radio waves, I feel blessed and poised for a long and very successful career as an actress and philanthropist!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my co-founder (Todd Moore) at church. We got married there, had both of our baby showers there and started our non-profit there. Our church holds many fond memories for us both.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Todd and I came out of pocket for the initial capital we needed to start our nonprofit. Since 2016, we have been fortunate enough to keep going with donations from individuals and a few corporations. That said, we are always looking for new individual donors to help support our vision! We have not yet received support from a grant.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.childrensclothinggiveaway.org/
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ccginc
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/childrensclothinggiveaway
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/ccginc