ODYD began at Fort Bliss in late 2015, when founders Renee Chapman, Ronya Rendon, Yvonne Coombes, Liz McKenrick and Melissa Riely
decided to organize a dress swap among their units’ spouses, as a way to defray the costs associated with purchasing formalwear for holiday balls.
It wasn’t long before the idea became an organization, run entirely by volunteers. With the support of Fort Bliss’ Garrison Command and the Fort Bliss Spouses’ Club, ODYD set up a location next to the thrift shop. Soon, other installations expressed interest, and within one year, ODYD opened at Fort Eustis, VA, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
ODYD now has 10 shops, with two shops having been opened on Fort Hood and Fort Drum in 2020
and its first international location that will be opening in Germany when it is safe to do so.
We collect new and gently used formal gowns and accessories at our 8 locations. Click the link to find out where you can deploy your dress.
We made a conscious decision not to charge anything for the dresses we deploy, but it takes money to run our shops & provide this service.
Join the FUN! Bring your expertise to our team, fundraising, web design, accounting, marketing, graphic design and so much more!