Long lines at first night of Prom Closet at Plano's St. Andrew United Methodist Church

There were long lines on Tuesday for the first night of Prom Closet in Plano.

This marks the eleventh year St. Andrew United Methodist Church is letting girls who need a prom dress to get one for free.

The church's volunteer program has been featured several times on FOX 4. This year is bigger than ever.

Last year, dresses from this closet were worn at more than 200 school proms across DFW and even as far as Oklahoma and Arkansas. After 11 years, it’s hardly considered a closet anymore.

More than a thousand high school girls from DFW and beyond will wait in this line over the next few days for the dress of their dreams. They are donated dresses, shoes and accessories they say they could not afford otherwise.

Volunteers from teens to adults, like Nancy Adams, make those dreams reality for girls.

“I’ve already heard someone today say, ‘I didn’t think I could go to prom and now I can,’” she recalled.

Claire Creecy and Esther Heymans are among the girls shopping Tuesday for their home school students prom in Frisco.

Alexis Taylor from Waco chose the first dress she tried on for her senior prom. She says this shows her that people care about her and are looking out for her.

“I’ve never worn a red dress. This is my first time,” she said. “For me, it helps my mother. So she won’t have to spend a lot of money because prom is expensive.”

“It helps each girl to feel special and to know that there’s a whole community out there that’s supporting them and wanting them to feel special,” said Nancy Adams, the Prom Closet coordinator.

Creecy and Heymans found dresses that they say give them confidence and make them feel beautiful.

Heyman tried on a consignment dress before coming here and says even that was hundreds of dollars.

“I think we all, regardless of our age, want to feel like a princess,” Adams said.

Anyone who wants to donate a dress can drop it off at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano any day of the year, but especially these next few days.

Many of the dresses will not be selected this year. Some will be saved for next year, and others will be donated to other programs.

More Info: www.standrewumc.org/news/PromCloset