I was sitting at a Shabbos table speaking to a good friend, when suddenly a thought popped into her head. She had just spoken to her friend Erev Shabbos, who recently started a sheitel gemach and was receiving so many phone calls from women in need of sheitels that she did not have enough sheitels to give out. After Shabbos, my friend immediately connected me to the “sheitel fairy godmother,” otherwise known as Staci Segal, whose mission has become collecting wigs to give out to Orthodox women in need of new wigs.
Many of my clients tell me that they have at least one or two wigs sitting in a closet that they never wear. Rather than having them just sit and collect dust, I have been encouraging them to donate them to Staci’s sheitel gemach, known as the “Sheitel Shuffle.” Many of the wigs are in good condition; they just don’t suit the client who bought it, and now someone in need can benefit from it. For convenience, we have set up a gemach box at Sari’s Wigs located in Teaneck, which when full is then sent to the Sheitel Shuffle for distribution. Once delivered to the Sheitel Shuffle, every sheitel is washed and set by a volunteer (mostly by Staci’s daughter, who also does wigs professionally) so that everyone who leaves feels extra good about themselves when they leave, which is the Sheitel’s Shuffle’s number-one goal!
One morning I woke up to the following text from Staci: “I just want you to know that an amazing woman just walked out of my home a few minutes ago with a piece we collected from your location. She has an incredible story filled with so many hardships and can now walk around with her head held up high! Thank you and your clients for being part of this!” I recently received another text: “Sari, thank you for all you do… it is so special to be able to make a woman going through some difficult times feel good about themselves. Please let your client know her piece is being put to good use.” Baruch Hashem, I am blessed with a wonderful clientele who are so happy to know that their unused sheitels are being put to good use. I thank Hashem and my generous clients for allowing me to be the “sheitel shadchan” connecting those homes with unused sheitels to homes where they will be well used and appreciated.
To donate a sheitel in the Bergen County area, text or call Sari’s Wigs at (201)694-5319. To donate in the New York area, contact [email protected].
By Sari Friedbauer
