The Story Behind Garde'n Gate Provisions Foundation in Ozark

With spring comes the annual tradition for many high school students: prom. Nonprofit organization Garde’n Gate Provisions Foundation

in Ozark has made it their mission to be the “fairy godmother” for local families with limited resources, so more students are able to enjoy this annual rite of passage. “Prom is such a huge part of your high school experience,” says CEO Anna Hogue. “They shouldn’t be restricted, just because they can’t afford a dress. I want them to go, and to have that moment, and feel beautiful and a part of something.” 

The annual prom dress giveaway event has been going on for six years and has provided more than 1,400 prom dresses to local girls. They have even outfitted about 20 young men with suits for the occasion.

To be able to pull off the one-day event takes businesses and volunteers willing to pitch in. Lloyds Dry Cleaners stores and cleans hundreds of dresses and uses their locations as collection points all year long. The We Move crew helps deliver, unload and set up racks of dresses. More than 100 volunteers jump in to act as personal shoppers, provide onsite alterations and help with set up and tear down after a whirlwind of hundreds of shoppers cycling through in just a few hours.

Garde’n Gate Provisions was initially backed by The Avan’t Garde’n, where Hogue worked managing estate liquidations. Instead of donating leftover estate items to other nonprofits, they decided these items could be the seeds to launch a nonprofit foundation to help fill needs in the community, from assisting families after a home fire or helping school children with critical needs to supplying basic necessities to refugees. “We cut through the red tape,” says Hogue. “We want to be able to reach the need immediately.” In 2024, the nonprofit was able to give away $1 million in goods to the community through its thrift store, the prom dress event, toy drives and other efforts—and is on track to provide even more in 2025.