Thrifty Goodies’ 9th Coat Drive Is On With Help From Alpha Pi Sigma

The sun was already warm over Pomona when the sisters of Alpha Pi Sigma‘s Beta Chapter at Cal Poly Pomona pulled into the Purpose Church parking lot on Pearl Street, one block north of Holt Avenue. Saturday is market day there, and the lot was coming alive under a clear blue sky, with blue and red canopies going up, fresh loaves of bread stacked on folding tables and neighbors moving between the tents with bags on their arms. At the back of the lot, For The People Thrifty Goodies was getting ready for one of the biggest stretches of its year, and the sisters had come to help.

They came in their letters and got straight to work, sorting donated clothes, hanging pieces on the racks and arranging the booth so every shopper who walked up could find a size, a style and a price that worked for them. A bright pink sign went up at the front announcing the $1 rack, the $3 rack and more, and the sisters took turns holding it up for passersby while they talked with the people who stopped to shop. By the time the morning crowd filled the market, the racks were full, the booth was organized and Thrifty Goodies was ready to open its 9th Annual Coat Drive. Before heading out, the sisters gathered under the trees along the lot for a group photo, hands up in their sorority’s sign and smiling into the morning light.

The Heart Behind Thrifty Goodies

Thrifty Goodies is the work of Naeema Fox, known across Pomona as Red Fox, and anyone who has met her at the booth understands why it feels like a community gathering as much as a place to shop. Pomona has already set her generosity in tile. Her portrait is one of 56 featured in The Power of Pomona is People, the permanent artwork at the Pomona North Metro station honoring residents who have made a difference in Pomona, and beside her likeness are the words “Naeema showed me the power of having a big heart.” Her full story lives in the project’s online Hall of Gratitude, and giving back has been part of her life from the very beginning.

Red Fox’s story starts in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Orphaned as a baby, she was six months old when she was placed in the home of Francis Norman Brown, known to everyone as Frank, and Mary Elizabeth Brown. Mary was a stay-at-home mother who fostered emergency infants for more than 30 years, opening her door to child after child who needed somewhere safe to go. Of all the children who passed through that home, Red Fox stayed the longest, growing up under the Browns’ parenting and leadership and remaining with them until they passed. Frank worked more than 40 years for the New York City Transit Authority, where he served as a supervisor, and when he turned 100 in 2016, he received a presidential congratulatory greeting from the White House honoring a century of life.

Years later, Red Fox opened her own home the same way. From 2017 to 2022, she served as a resource parent providing intensive service foster care and emergency shelter, taking in some of the hardest-to-place teenagers and small children and earning extra certifications so she could care for them. She started Thrifty Goodies as another way to give back, and today she puts that same heart into Pomona through the nonprofit and through her work as a Realtor with eXp Realty of Greater Los Angeles, where she empowers first-time buyers and teaches her clients how to qualify, guiding them until they are application ready and bank ready for the buying process. When she isn’t at the booth or with clients, she is spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Saturdays at the Booth

Every Saturday morning, Thrifty Goodies sets up in the market lot with racks of clothing, shoes and thrift finds priced so the whole community can shop, from the $1 rack to the $3 rack and beyond. As a public charity, Thrifty Goodies provides affordable products, services and housing to people in need, and the Saturday booth is where neighbors see that mission up close, leaving with full bags for a few dollars while the racks stay stocked by the generosity of others. Shoppers who can’t make it to Pomona can also find pieces online through Charity Charm, the nonprofit’s eBay store.

The 9th Annual Coat Drive is running now through February 28, 2027, after opening on October 31. Coat donations are accepted at the booth every Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Purpose Church parking lot on Pearl Street. Thrifty Goodies does not accept coats sent in, so anyone who can’t make it out on a Saturday morning can support the drive with a monetary donation to the nonprofit instead by calling 909-289-3354. Every coat dropped off helps keep a neighbor warm through the winter.

Sisters in Service

For the sisters of Alpha Pi Sigma, the morning at Thrifty Goodies tied back to why their sorority exists. “One of our founding purposes is to support and uplift the Latino community through volunteering and community service,” the sisters shared with Bacon. “What better way to honor that purpose than by giving back to the community that has always been there for us?” They described community service as a way to make a difference while upholding the traditions and morals they stand for, and they spoke with pride about carrying their cultural backgrounds into the communities they serve.

“Volunteering is something we take to heart,” the sisters said. “We want to show that we can be a helping hand, make a positive impact, and remind our community that we are here to support them. Nothing makes us happier than seeing the community we love thrive and knowing that we played a small part in making that happen. Giving back is more than just a tradition to us; it is part of who we are.”

The sisters who came out to support Thrifty Goodies included Emily Memije, Amy Velasco, Noelia Flores, Jayda Lozoya, Lupita Martínez, Samira Palacios, Leila Ortega, Lisette Guerra, Suevanny Figueroa, Leilani Dominguez and Gabriella Jacinto. Their work with Red Fox is far from over, since the sisters will be back to help make painted jeans and handcrafted purses for Thrifty Goodies’ next fundraiser.

Where to Find Them

Thrifty Goodies is at the Purpose Church parking lot on Pearl Street every Saturday morning, and its coat drive runs through February 28, 2027, for anyone ready to clean out a closet, give a coat or find a great piece on the $1 rack. The nonprofit is also looking for volunteers to help at the booth, and anyone who wants to lend a hand can call 909-289-3354. Stop by between 8 and 10 a.m. to drop off a donation, and stay to shop and meet Red Fox and the people who keep the booth going week after week.

Alpha Pi Sigma Sorority, Incorporated was founded on March 10, 1990, at San Diego State University as a Latina-based sorority that welcomes women of all backgrounds. Academic excellence is its primary value, alongside leadership development, cultural awareness, sisterhood and community service, and its motto, Amigas Para Siempre, means friends forever. The sorority is a member of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations and has chapters across the country, most of them in California. The Beta Chapter at Cal Poly Pomona was established on March 1, 1996, and this season the sisters are raising funds for their Adelitas Conference, which inspires young Latinas to pursue higher education with confidence, cultural pride and community, with donations accepted through Bronco Launchpad until December 1, 2026. Readers can follow the chapter on Instagram at @cppalphapisigma and learn more about the national sorority at its official website.

Photos courtesy of Thrifty Goodies.