Caring Partners presents 20th ‘Belle of the Ball’ dress drive empowering students with a free prom dress and accessories

Declutter your closet and donate your prom dress before April 4th at any Anton's Cleaners, Rockland Trust, or Jordan's Furniture location

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, February 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Belle of the Ball, New England’s largest prom dress drive, has supported thousands of high school students for more than 20 years with a transformative, free prom dress shopping experience at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The experience is deeply moving to help release the financial burden associated with shopping for a prom dress and all the accessories while providing a positive dress shopping “boutique” experience that changes the way they feel about themselves. Caring Partners is once again collecting gently used trendy prom dresses, and will inspect and dry clean them before distributing them to students in need at a high-energy Boutique Day shopping event this spring. Belle of the Ball aims to release the financial burden associated with shopping for a prom dress and accessories.

This year’s drive is the 20th event, with two years missed during the pandemic. The prom dress drive runs February 9th through April 4th at any Jordan’s Furniture, Rockland Trust bank, or Anton’s Cleaners location. (See antons.com, jordans.com, or rocklandtrust.com for a location near you).

Caring Partners’ “Belle of the Ball” prom dress drive is possible through the generosity of donors, sponsors and volunteers working toward one mission: Belle of the Ball cleans and distributes prom dresses and provides related accessories at no charge to high school juniors and seniors who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend their school’s prom.

Ways to help:

1. DONATE A DRESS. Drop off your trendy, good quality, gently worn prom dress (plus sizes appreciated) to any Anton’s Cleaners, Rockland Trust bank, or Jordan’s Furniture location. Anton’s Cleaners then cleans the donated prom dresses at no charge, and distributes them to high school junior and senior students who could not otherwise afford to attend their prom.

2. REFER A STUDENT. For school administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, social service agency, or clergy members seeking to refer a high school junior or senior student in need, referrals are welcome online only with a deadline of March 20th or until capacity is reached: https://antons.com/belle/receive-a-dress/refer/. Belle of the Ball also provides customizable flyers to share: https://antons.com/belle/about/promotional-materials/

3. DONATIONS ARE CRITICAL. Monetary donations are welcome through the website to pay for new accessories and to help this growing event keep its momentum in its 20th year. A variety of sponsorship packages from $1,250 to $10,000 are still available for corporate donors and kind individuals.

4. VOLUNTEER AT BOUTIQUE DAY. Caring individuals are invited to register now (antons.com/belle) to assist with personal shopping (afternoon shift is most needed), light alterations, event setup/breakdown, and more.

5. VOLUNTEER OR ORGANIZE A DRESS COLLECTION DRIVE. Any organization, neighborhood, alumni friend group or nonprofit interested in holding a prom dress collection drive, making an in-kind donation, or volunteering at the boutique can sign up online now at antons.com/belle. Afternoon volunteers are particularly needed this year.

BOUTIQUE DAY: The Belle of the Ball prom gown collection culminates in an invitation-only “boutique” event where deserving and pre-qualified girls are invited for a day of personal shopping and pampering – a powerful personal experience. This year, over 1800 girls will be invited to enjoy Boutique Day at the Hynes Convention Center, with thousands of dry-cleaned dresses organized and displayed by size, color and styles. Monetary and in-kind donations are needed to pay for jewelry, handbag and shoes and prom-related services: visit antons.com/belle for a financial donation to Caring Partners, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

“As we reflect on reaching the remarkable milestone of collecting and cleaning 100,000 prom dresses, we remain deeply committed to our founding mission: every high school student deserves to feel beautiful,” said Arthur Anton Jr., COO of Anton’s Cleaners and a founder of Belle of the Ball. “When budgets are stretched and every dollar matters, Belle of the Ball helps ensure that any student who wants to attend prom has the perfect outfit to wear.”

“Belle of the Ball Boutique Day is one of my favorite events of the year,” said Eliot Tatelman from Jordan’s Furniture. “To witness the transformation of the students throughout the day, ending with a walk down the Red Carpet, is truly amazing. We are proud to continue supporting the Belle of the Ball program by encouraging our generous customers to donate dresses and gowns at any of our store locations.” Tatelman concluded, “Jordan’s Furniture has been a Corporate Partner to this essential initiative since the beginning, supporting youth and students throughout the area. We are very proud to help make a difference in their lives.”

"Prom marks an important milestone in a young woman’s life, a time she deserves to feel confident and genuinely seen,” said Peg McCarthy, Chief Retail Banking Officer at Rockland Trust. “Belle of the Ball helps make that experience more accessible for thousands of young women by easing financial barriers and allowing them to focus on the joy of the day. At Rockland Trust, we care deeply about the people and communities we serve, and we are proud to support an effort that helps create so many lasting, meaningful memories.”

Over the years, girls have shared final prom dress photos and written to the program with transformative stories, describing the impact Belle of the Ball has had on their lives – with many returning to volunteer long after their prom is over. To date, over 8,463 students have been outfitted since Belle of the Ball began in 2005, with over $4.7M in dry cleaning services donated by Anton’s since the program’s inception. More than 112,779 gently used prom

Julie Dennehy
Dennehy PR
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