First-Year Seminar Students Organize Clothing Drive
Breidenbaugh Hall. (Annie Bolenbaugh/The Gettysburgian)
By Sophie Lange, Features Editor
Students in the first-year seminar, “Tryin’ to Find a Way Back Home: Introduction to Literature of Homelessness in America,” are holding a clothing drive until Oct. 5. Each year, the seminar’s students take a trip to Washington, D.C., where they will be distributing the donated items to individuals experiencing homelessness. The students say that providing unhoused individuals with a wide range of types of clothing is important because many people facing homelessness are either working or actively searching for a job. It is also important in the prevention of sexual assault and physical violence, particularly for women and children who are more vulnerable to these dangers. Improving accessibility to clean clothes is also vital for physical health by reducing the chances of developing skin infections or illnesses due to a lack of clean clothes. Access to clothes also affects mental health as wearing fresh clothes can boost self-esteem and improve social and professional outcomes.
“The importance of holding events like this is to not only bring the Gettysburg community together in a strong issue but to make a difference elsewhere and better so many individuals’ day-to-day lives. It is simple acts like donating an article of clothing that can really help someone who is struggling. This can help spread awareness for the homeless problem in the United States and help create more empathy towards the issue,” said Caitlin Woods ’28, a student in the class.
The clothing drive accepts any men’s and women’s clothing donations but asks specifically for long pants, jeans, long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, dress clothes and unused socks and underwear. A designated box is provided for collecting donations on the first floor of the College Union Building and gburgclothingdrive@outlook.com can be contacted with any questions or concerns.
Professor Christopher Fee, who teaches this first-year seminar, is also a faculty advisor for The Gettysburgian.
