(WISH) INDIANAPOLIS — The Gifted Gown, a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis, recently experienced a break-in that left its volunteers shocked and disheartened. According to Executive Director Julia Rutland, “Somebody came in and decided to take a whole bunch of dresses, take a whole table of jewelry, and a whole other side of jewelry that we just got in the other day. There’s a hole where dresses used to be. It’s trashed.”

Despite the theft, the organization remains committed to its mission of helping the community. “As pissed as I am that somebody would do that, you know I was just thinking that if somebody needed something, we would literally be the ones to give you the shirts off our back,” Rutland added. “You’re taking away from other people in the community.”

The Gifted Gown was founded in 2013, inspired by a local school district’s Prom Closet that offered low-cost formal wear to students. When the need for formal wear extended beyond the school’s students, the idea for The Gifted Gown was born. The organization started with just 25 dresses and has since grown to over 2,800 items, helping more than 900 people access formal wear for special events such as proms, graduations, and military balls.

The organization’s mission is to nurture the social and emotional needs of the community through the gifting of formal wear. It operates year-round, providing attire for any formal or semi-formal occasion and accepts donations throughout the year to continue its services.

Despite the recent setback, the organization remains dedicated to making special moments possible for those in need.

Anyone with information about the thefts should contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.