Utah investor launches holiday clothing drive

While the holidays are a happy time for many, they can also be isolating for others.
This is why Jay Tobey, founder and CEO of North Star Financial Group and North Star Recovery and Wellness, is kicking off a holiday clothing drive this year.
As an investment firm, North Star has partnered with substance abuse and recovery clinics along the Wasatch Front including Renaissance Ranch, the Other Side Academy, Steps Recovery Center, University of Utah Health, and more, to hold the clothing drive.
When Tobey got into investments in 2018, his first was in a recovery and rehabilitation facility, despite warnings against it from trusted mentors.
“I just expected that to just be one of my portfolio companies I liked. I don’t have any ties, directly, myself to mental health or substance abuse, but it was this huge passion project for me,” Tobey said.
As he continued to invest, he saw the impact these types of facilities can have on people’s lives, and the clothing drive is a way he felt he could contribute to that impact.
“As far as recovery goes, when you actually kind of, like, give them some clothes and give them something, then you’re kind of getting on that same level to say, ‘Hey, we’re in it with you,'” Tobey said. “If we can make just a little bit of a difference throughout this area in people’s lives, I think that’s going to be … pretty rewarding.”
The clothing drive kicked off on Monday and runs through Dec. 16, with eight drop-off locations from Ogden to Orem.
Here’s the full details for the locations where people can donate clothes:
Tobey said the drive is mostly looking for adult clothing, and so far, it’s off to a successful start, adding that the locations had already received 150 bags of clothes before the drive officially kicked off.
Beyond the clothing drive, Tobey hopes to address the mental health crisis through the private sector.
He wants to help recovery and rehabilitation centers track outcomes through a network of systems instead of the centers being fragmented.
“We’re trying to take the good that’s already in the industry, not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Tobey said. “Can we consolidate the good under one umbrella, and then track with outcome and data?”
While this is the first clothing drive organized by North Star, Tobey said he’s hoping to make it an annual holiday tradition.
“I can go get a great (return on investment) anywhere,” Tobey said. “This one is a little closer to home, as far as what you’re doing for people.”