Bryan Cole / The Collegian

Clothing drive assists families in time of need

USU Productions, a student-operated organization, is currently hosting its first children’s clothing drive, in conjunction with the Bulldog Pantry, during the months of February and March to help children of low-income families.

The idea for the drive blossomed when USU Productions’ co-coordinators Karina Harris, 19, a pre-physical therapy major, and Carla Zamora, 22, a history and Africana studies major, first got involved with helping the Bulldog Pantry in a canned food drive in January.

“We were looking to see how we could get more involved with the Bulldog Pantry,” Harris said. “During the canned food drive they told us they had a shortage of children’s clothes and after much discussion we decided to hold a clothing drive to help out.”

USU Productions is accepting clothing for infants and children in elementary school. Shirts, shoes, sweaters, pants and even blankets are accepted.

Only a handful of clothes have been donated so far, but Harris and Zamora’s goal is to have 200 articles of clothing by the end of March.

Clothing to be distributed at yard ‘sale’

After the drive is finished, all clothing will be given to the Bulldog Pantry. Families will then be able to pick out what clothes they need at the “free yard sale.”

The “free yard sale” takes place every Saturday at the headquarters located at Shaw and Jackson street, approximately every four to six weeks, depending on how many articles of clothing are donated. It is when clothes will be available for families.

“Families come to the free yard sale and will be distributed food and then will be able to choose which articles of clothing they need for their children,” Don Romsa said.

Romsa, 61, is the Lutheran campus pastor and volunteers every Saturday at the Bulldog Pantry, which is student-run.

“People that usually come are recently unemployed, single parents, people with disabilities and the elderly,” Romsa said.

There is no limit to how many articles of clothing one family can take.

Expanding vision

Fresno State students and family can donate clothes at one of four drop locations around campus: USU 306, the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, the Atrium at housing and the Student Recreation Center.

Now in their second semester as co-coordinators, Harris and Zamora plan on continuing the drive twice per year and have it expand into the Fresno community.

“For future years we will definitely continue the clothing drive and maybe even do a household items drive,” Harris said.

Previous drives by USU Productions include a denim drive, which helped insulate three homes of hurricane Katrina survivors.

Other upcoming events for USU Productions include a bus trip to the Museum of Tolerance in April and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in May.