Campus Closet: A Service for the People

More than 1/3 of college students across the nation face a form of basic needs insecurity, including food and clothing insecurity. At Campus Closet, we are determined to eliminate this number and the negative stereotypes surrounding clothing insecurity. “Campus Closet is an ASUA service organization that collects and then distributes - free of charge - gently used or new business, professional, and casual clothing to University of Arizona students, faculty and staff members.” Our visitors then use the free clothing for events such as professional networking, internships, interviews, and/or everyday wear. We believe that distributing free (business) clothing speaks to an outstandingly relevant issue — increasing the accessibility of obtaining the proper resources to appear professionally. As Directors of Campus Closet, Kayla and I strongly believe in creating a fun and welcoming space in which our visitors feel comfortable enough visiting regularly. We strive each and every day to ensure that all of our volunteers and staff are cooperating in making the Campus Closet a place where anyone can visit without the fear of feeling judged or embarrassed. In order to extinguish a stereotype, it needs to be addressed. By talking openly about clothing insecurity and its impact in the lives of struggling college students, we can finally move forward in putting an end to the obstructive cliche that goes along with it. Ultimately, Campus Closet is a fully student run service that operates in pursuit of decreasing the ever-present clothing insecurity at the U of A and better the overall well being of the U of A community. If one wishes to contact the Campus Closet Team, one can either email ua.campuscloset@gmail.com or message the ua.campuscloset Instagram for updates, volunteer interest, donations, and additional information. Our Fall 2022 distribution hours are Tuesday’s from 3-5pm & Wednesday’s 2-4pm on the first floor of the Student Union in the Sonora Room.

Since our program relies solely on donations, we wouldn’t exist without the ongoing support of the Wildcat community. Thus, the Campus Closet is always accepting donations of business and everyday wear clothing at the Information Desk from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday and during our distribution hours as well. Donation drop offs can also be scheduled during Family Weekend. If any parents or family members who are visiting have any men's/women's shoes or men's small shirts/pants they no longer use, please feel free to bring your donations! We greatly appreciate all donations, and your continuous support is what allows us to help our very own students, faculty, and staff. One thing to keep in mind for the end of the school year, if you are graduating or know someone who is and will no longer want their UA gear, instead of tossing it out, consider donating it to Campus Closet. This way you won’t have to bring it home, freeing up space in your luggage, and our students will enjoy wearing their new school gear. Make sure to stop by the Campus Closet and meet our fabulous team!