Brewer Hall is home to the Campus Closet and the Campus Harvest Food Pantry. Both resources are available to UW-Eau Claire students free of charge. 

The Campus Closet provides blugolds with professional attire at no cost. Located in 049 Brewer Hall, the Campus Closet has options for all genders professional attire. 

Included in its selection is both men’s and women’s suits, blouses, dress shirts, belts, ties and more. 

According to the Campus Closet webpage, any student can stop by with their Blugold ID and select up to five items per visit. Students are allowed to visit the Campus Closet up to three times a semester.

According to Sarah Snyder, the current student assistance coordinator and head of the Campus Closet and Campus Harvest Food pantry, all students should come check it out. The main goal of the facility is to provide business clothing for students who have interviews, internships or career fairs. 

“It’s not just for students who are struggling. We want you to spend the money that you are making on the things that are important to you and that you need,” Snyder said. 

Lizzie Fleck, a fourth-year sociology student, is the student intern for the Campus Closet. Fleck, who is graduating this spring, said having the opportunity to have formal business clothes available for interviews and career fairs, free of charge, is great for students. 

“There’s this stigma that it’s for lower income students, and that is not the case at all. We want all students to feel like they can come and utilize the pantry and the closet whenever they need it,” Fleck said. 

According to Snyder, there is an obvious need for both the Campus Closet and Campus Harvest Food Pantry. The reason for this is that on average, one-third of college students are ‘food insecure’ while in college. 

“Food insecurity is way more common than students think. It doesn’t mean that you’re starving and you can’t eat,” Snyder said, “it just means that you’re having to make choices about the food that you’re eating.“

The Campus Harvest Food Pantry offers both fresh and shelf-stable food, as well as various hygiene products. 

Fleck said that when working with students, it is never just the Campus Closet or the Campus Harvest Food Pantry, but both working together to get more students in each week. 

The Campus Closet began in 2014, and strives to work with community members to gather donations and grow. According to Snyder, they work with community members, the foundation, alumni and staff to get things donated. 

“I think people see the benefit in it, I think they like seeing their clothes go somewhere they are familiar with and likely close to their heart,” Snyder said. 

Anyone interested in volunteering with the Campus Closest or the Campus Harvest Food Pantry can apply within the service learning app. 

According to Fleck, both the Campus Closet and Campus Harvest Food Pantry accept donations during their updated hours, which are Monday through Thursday from 2-5pm. 

When visiting both the Campus Closet and Campus Harvest Food Pantry, all you need is your Blugold ID —  everything is confidential and your information will not be released. 

Schoenemann can be reached at [email protected]