As most of you know, food scarcity is becoming a nationwide issue on college campuses. In an effort to assist our students making it to graduation without too many obstacles along the way, a group of faculty and staff have come together to create a food, clothing, and supply closet. For now, it is located in the back hallway of the Writing and Speaking Center suite in the HCC, Room 429. It is unlocked and available to students from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through the weekdays, 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and 6 to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
We will start advertising it to all students soon, but we want to get some items in the pantry first. Now more than ever, we know your time and money are limited, but if you have gently-used clothing you would like to donate, we will be happy to pick it up from your office. If you are at Costco, Sam’s, or running errands and would like to throw an item or two in your basket for the students, we have created a constantly updating wish list:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qJke4onDa0aAqpL6So3b0Nes1MxuwfQfG8gcVT3QkjA/edit?usp=sharing
Most importantly, if you know of a UMW student who is struggling with food, personal care items, clothing for internships, interviews, or just needs some season-appropriate clothing, please send them our way. If you would like to be more involved on the committee, please let me know and we can add you to the emails. If you need to reach out to any of us, currently the committee is: C.J. Porter, Leslie Martin, Laura Wilson, James Pape, Pam Lowery, Rita Thompson, and Gwen Hale. We thank you for all that you do for our students. If you have more questions, contact Gwen Hale at ghale@umw.edu.
