As spring approaches, students may find themselves putting away and clearing out winter clothing in preparation for the warmer weather. When students clear out their closets, it is possible that they will find clothes they are looking to get rid of, including some that they might not have ever worn. 

On March 6 – March 8,  there will be open bins in each UNI dorm lobby and Maucker Union for people to donate clean, gently used clothing. “It’s that time of year when we joyfully put away the winter sweaters and look forward to pulling out the spring wear,” says Jennifer Bruss, the program and community outreach coordinator of the Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center at UNI. They will be collecting shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, jackets and even shoes as long as they are clean and gently used. They will not be accepting socks, undergarments, swimwear or anything in poor condition, as these items will be used again by other people. 

On Monday, April 3, from noon to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, April 4, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. the clothes will be put on sale in Maucker Ballroom A at very affordable prices. All proceeds from this sale will go to the Panther Pantry. The Panther Pantry is an organization dedicated to serving students impacted by food insecurity, or lack of access to healthy and nutritious food needed. Shoppers at the clothing sale are encouragwed to use cash for this event.

There are many benefits to donating your clothes. By clearing out any of the clothing that you no longer need or wear, you can reduce the amount of clutter in your home. Oftentimes, people buy clothing that is not needed, and sometimes they never even wear it. 

Donating clothing is much easier than selling them online, and the clothing collection happening on March 6 through March 8 is a perfect opportunity to free up some closet space. Not only is donating your extra clothes good for you as an individual, it is also a good way to protect the planet. 

Instead of throwing them away, you can ensure they do not end up in a landfill through donation. “On average, the typical American throws away more than 80 pounds of clothing a year. When you consider that college aged students are usually prone to following fast fashion trends, that number could be much higher due to trends turning over at such a rapid pace,” says Bruss. 

This is also a great way to help your community. There are many who are in need of basic items such as clothing, food and more, and donating your own can be an easy and very effective way to help them achieve that. 

With this opportunity, students can help out their community and themselves through either donating, purchasing the donated clothes or both. Bruss says, “We would like to be able to offer an opportunity for people to thin out their closest with the built in bonus of helping others in the process.”