Clothing drives are going to be a biannual event next year, so students should try to donate their gently-used clothing. | Jiselle Santos/ The Cougar
As many students prepare to start the new school year, they clean out their closets and wardrobe. When they find things they do not need or want any longer, they should keep in mind those in need.
In Houston alone, there were over 27,000 people in need of some type of service for the homeless in 2013 and even more under minimal care and in need of basic supplies. Raising awareness to family members and friends can amass a big donation.
Santa Cops, an annual event in some schools and athletic organizations across the nation, provides clothing/toy drives during the weeks at the end of the first semester or beginning of the second semester. A person or group can “adopt” a child for a day, meaning they will get information on the child, such as their favorite color among other things, to buy them gifts from Walmart. These gifts often contain a mix of clothes and toys. This event, or others like it, should be replicated more in university campuses.
A similar program will be implemented at the University of Houston with the clothing drive. It will be held by the on-campus student organization National Society for Collegiate Scholars and will consist of two parts. The first part consists of bake sales, and the second part will be a clothing drive. All students should donate.
Donating and volunteering have shown to be stress-relievers. Also, although the main purpose of donating is to scatter good in life, there is a small incentive for donating at the clothing drive.
Jumbo stickers, which are most notably seen on water bottles and laptops, will be given for every three items donated. The donation week, which will be announced in the fall, will collect items ranging from gently-used shoes to shirts and jackets. The organization will keep a Google Doc tally of all students who donated. Students will drop off the donations collected at a table in the Student Center South.
The clothing drive will donate to local hospices and hospitals, but students can also donate to various drop-off locations in the greater Houston area. One donation drop-off location is the Houston Area Women’s Center, where you can either donate online or glance through their wish list and drop off a donation at their address.
Although there are numerous great locations to donate supplies to, when NSCS members take a vote in their first meeting in the fall, one location that may be chosen to receive the donations from the drive is Soldiers’ Angels. Soldiers’ Angels is a nonprofit organization that helps veterans in need. It provided over $17 million in aid to veterans and their families in 2017 alone.
If you cannot donate, volunteering for such an event is another way to get involved. A link to sign up for volunteering times will be up on the Facebook page for NSCS. Let friends and family know about this clothing drive, as the organization will have a special gift for the student with the most clothes donated.
As you prepare to head to the University this fall, think of donating your gently-used pieces as a great start to the school year.
Opinion Editor Maryam Baldawi is a biology junior and can be reached at [email protected].
