5 hours Ago By Jessica Harrington
HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- Young ladies in the Hanford Joint Union High School District will have their own fairy godmother on Saturday. Dresses and gowns are getting pulled out of storage and hung on the racks at the district office.
Rachel Pepe, Amy Leslie and Gina Young are the co-founders of the Cinderella Project. It was created back in 2018 after Rachel permanently closed her formal dress boutique, but still had dozens of dresses left over. Inspired by a woman in another district, she got the idea to create a free dress event for students.
"Our community needs it, or our community could use it. So that was where it was kind of born," Pepe said. The three of them know what it's like to feel beautiful at a high school dance - they have the pictures to prove it.
"And myself and my other two co-founders felt like we were extremely blessed in that we were able to provide that actual experience for our own daughters, and we knew how happy it made them as young teens and as moms to be able to do that for them," Pepe said. "And so we thought every kid, every teen, deserves that." Twice a year, once for formal and once for prom, they transform a room at the district office into a boutique.
Their husbands do the heavy lifting out of the trailer, and high school helpers like Bailey Quintero and Brooke Faria keep the operation running smoothly. "Yeah, so this is actually my eighth time doing it. I've done it every semester since freshman year, and what's really exciting about it is every time, we get better and better," Faria said.
All of the dresses are donated, and some have never been worn. They currently have more than 800 dresses in sizes 0 to 28. Girls can try them on before they leave, and coming out of the fitting room is similar to being at a regular store.
"It's always all of us supporting each other, and 'Oh my gosh, you look so beautiful. You look so cute in that dress!'" Faria said. There are shoes and jewelry available as well - all free of charge.
Everything is theirs to keep. The goal is to make sure each young lady who picks out a dress leaves feeling confident and included. "We just want to give them that experience, that maybe once in a lifetime experience," Pepe said.
Dress donations are collected throughout the year. To help support the Cinderella Project reach out to them directly via Instagram or Facebook. For news updates, follow Jessica Harrington on Facebook , X and Instagram .
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