Thetford — Upper Valley parents are invited to donate their outgrown children’s clothes or swap them for the next size up at the second Children’s Clothing Exchange, run by the Thetford Baptist Church.

The exchange will take place on Saturday, April 7, from 9 a.m.-noon at the church, 97 Church Lane, in East Thetford. Donations will be accepted from March 25 to April 3, and can be left in the donation box on the church’s back porch. The clothing exchange is accepting infant’s, children’s and junior’s clothing and footwear, as well as maternity items. All items should be good quality, and clothes for any season can be donated.

On the day of the swap, the public is invited to “shop” for free from the donated items.

The clothing exchange was originally orchestrated on a smaller scale by Christi-Lynn Martin, who invited her friends and church members to exchange their children’s clothing. But when a local children’s thrift store closed last year, Pastor Nathan Petes recognized the opportunity for the church to expand the swap in order to fill a community need, said his wife, Heather Peets.

“When Cheap Kids in Orford went out of business we were talking about how that was a loss to the community of a great place to get inexpensive kids’ clothing,” Peets said.

Last fall the church hosted its first community kids clothing swap. About 20 families from outside the church attended, and the church received many donations. Clothing that was not claimed during the swap was donated to Upper Valley Haven in White River Junction and The Pregnancy Center of the Upper Valley in West Lebanon.

Peets hopes more people from the community will participate in the April event.

“We’re doing this because we want to help people meet their physicals needs, but also so the church can extend our relationships with the community,” Peets said. “We want to make connections with those who come in.”

Editor’s note: For more information, email thetfordbaptistevents@gmail.com.