UConn Stamford student groups Huskies for Charity, GaySpace and First Gen Club under the guidance of Professor Laura Bunyan, hosted their Clothing For All event in conjunction with The Center for Career Development.
The student organizations hosted their Spring 2024 Clothing For All event on Feb. 27. The event took place in the clothing pantry and included career resources for students about to enter the workforce.
Tara Malone is one of the project collaborators that assisted with the Clothing For All event. She explained the significance of this event for students.
“The event runs each semester (Fall and Spring) the week before the Career Fair to provide students with professional clothing for the Fair and future interviews,” Malone said. “Throughout the academic year, students can access free clothing at the on-campus “Husky Clothing For All” clothing pantry; The clothing pantry is open 15 hours a week Monday through Thursday.”
There were 250 students who benefited from the program, receiving professional attire just in time for the Spring Career Fair at UConn Stamford.
This program started about a year ago and provides access to all types of clothing throughout the academic year. The clothing offered can range from casual attire to winter coats and can include professional clothing such as suits. The program hopes to grow through the next few years to provide more than just clothing.
“This is in line with the vision of providing more access to resources for students and building community,” Professor Laura Bunyan said. “In terms of the program, we are working to offer additional essentials such as cooking supplies including: pots, pans, baking sheets, can openers and other cooking related items.”
Bunyan joined the program and assisted with creating the clothing pantry on the Stamford campus just for students. The clothing pantry is open four days a week and is completely run by student workers who are paid through federal work study.
Not only have students preparing for interviews benefited from this program, but so have the students involved in the pantry’s success.
“Working on the Clothing For All events these past two years has been a truly admirable experience,” GaySpace President Jayde Lopez said. ”Additionally I hope to see the clothing pantry grow into a more well established program that can help more students in the coming years.”
Photo by Peter Morenus of UConn Photo via UConn Today