Jené D’Ambrosio: A Clothing Collector Committed to Compassion

“I don’t need an award. I don’t need a pat on the back. I don’t need a trophy. I don’t need any of that. Having that feeling that we’re helping people is enough.”

Jené D’Ambrosio

By: Andrea Manokian, Red Cross Communications Volunteer

Born and raised in Fresno, Jené D’Ambrosio is determined to give back to the community that gave to her. Reflecting on her roots, she recalls her first job at a clothing retailer in the Fashion Fair Mall at just fifteen years old. Who could have imagined that years later, Jené’s passion for fashion would still have her working with clothing and textiles?

Today, Jené is the co-owner of Just Porch It, a company she founded with her husband, Daren.

The company collects clothing, shoes, backpacks and more from people’s doorsteps—giving new life to unwanted items that otherwise end up in landfills. Together, the couple has expanded their company across seven states and they’ve combined forces with more than 300 non-profit organizations including a meaningful partnership with the American Red Cross.

Jené takes great pride in her blended family. At seventeen years old, she welcomed her first daughter. “I was a teen mom trying to figure out how to tackle the world,” she says. And tackle the world she did. She is a role model to her three daughters—Tylar, Jordyn and Macy—who are all ambitious and eager to make a positive impact in the world. “I have a sign in my living room that says, ‘This is us, blended and blessed,’” she adds.

Jené is fiercely committed to helping people in need because she understands firsthand what it’s like to be put in a situation where you rely on the kindness of others. “I love to give back to the community because I was the one receiving from the community,” she says. “You never know what’s going to happen and because I came from a situation where I needed the community, I want to give back to the community that gave to me, and other communities,” she says.

Growing up, Jené recalls “licking stamps and weighing envelopes and driving them on the quad to the mailbox” while helping her grandmother run her business. Back in the day, Jené’s grandmother had a distributing company which she and Jené’s grandfather built from the ground up inside of their garage. She didn’t know it back then, but this experience stuck with her and taught her the ins and outs of operating a business. Years later when Jené and Daren started Just Porch It from inside their garage, Jené had an epiphany. “Back then I didn’t think anything of it, but as I got older I went ‘Oh, maybe I do know more [about business] than I thought,’” she says.

Just Porch It didn’t happen overnight. Jené and Daren started their journey filling up shipping containers with donated clothing items to send overseas to help people in need. They learned the ins and outs of collecting, grading, sorting and shipping garments. Their efforts then led them to own donation bins that were set up in front of churches and schools. When COVID-19 hit, the couple implemented home pickups, collecting clothing and other necessities directly from people’s doorsteps. They came up with the name Just Porch It and the rest is history.

Just Porch It saves more than two million pounds of waste from landfills each month and last year, the company donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to multiple organizations that specialize in helping people in need, including the Red Cross.

Not only is Jené a Red Cross Board Member and Philanthropy Chair of the Central Valley Chapter, but she also helps lead the planning committee of the Central Valley Heroes Awards—an event held to honor local heroes making a positive impact in their communities. She enjoys attending Red Cross events, “even the smaller events, I love going to those,” she says. Jené recalls a recent event she attended in Mendota which made her see the impact the Red Cross is making in people’s lives. Volunteers “were teaching families how to install fire alarms and how to get the materials and necessities [they] need in case of an emergency,” she says.

Just Porch It partnered with the Red Cross about seven years ago and since then, their partnership has only blossomed. When asked what she is most proud of regarding the partnership, Jené unequivocally replies, “Everything.”

She credits the Red Cross for the emergence of Just Porch It’s voucher program. As she was prepping suitcases and bags full of clothing for the Red Cross to distribute to families affected by natural disasters, Jené had a lightbulb moment. To feel a shred of normalcy in a tragic situation they had no control over, Jené felt as though people would feel better about picking out their own clothes. So, the voucher program was born. Jené pitched the idea to various thrift stores and the idea soon became a reality. To this day, Just Porch It still covers the cost of vouchers that impacted people can spend at local thrift stores. “We continue to service the voucher program,” she says. “If anybody has a house fire, flood—any disaster relief situation—the case workers give us a call, we get the case number and make sure that [people] get their vouchers,” she explains. Today, the company has ties with around 300 thrift stores that honor this voucher program.

The vouchers were also something used to provide relief to those affected by the 2020 Creek Fire that took place in Fresno and Madera counties. When the fire scorched through her beloved community, Jené jumped into action. “Within minutes we had a pop-up thrift store at Clovis Hill,” she says. With the help of dedicated volunteers and her daughters, Jené was able to hand out clothes to those who had lost everything in the fire. “There were people who were showing up in their pajamas. There were people showing up with no shoes. There were people showing up with literally the clothes on their back and that’s all they had,” Jené says. She even recalls going shopping for an immobile local who had been displaced by the fire and dropping off clothes at their hotel.

A firm believer in karma, unity and reciprocity, Jené is constantly encouraging her family and those around her to volunteer in any way that they can. “People a lot of the time think they have to go above and beyond to help and the reality is, it doesn’t have to be some astronomical donation. If you don’t have a monetary way of donating, donate clothes or donate your time,” she says.

If you have any unwanted clothing items and you’d like an easy way to get involved and make an impact, consider donating by scheduling a pick up at justporchit.com. Don’t forget to select the “American Red Cross” from the dropdown menu under “Who are you supporting?” to make your donation count. Or, visit redcross.org/volunteer for more ways to get involved.

March is Red Cross Month and Women’s History Month. During this dual observance, we tell the stories of women whose unwavering dedication touched lives and made a deep impact over the past 140-plus years of our lifesaving mission.