If you’re on campus this evening, you don’t want to miss out on a special event that helps others and your closet. UCLA’s Mobile Clinic has organized a seriously awesome do-good event at the Kerckhoff Art Gallery tonight until 8:30 pm. Participants can bring three items of used or unwanted clothing and receive a ticket in return. This ticket can be used to take home a thrifted item! All items left will go to the homeless around Los Angeles and Westwood helped by the Mobile Clinic. Additionally, visitors can view photo spreads of local homeless community members helped by the clinic.
You can enter the thrift shop expecting treasures. In the past, the event has been done on a much smaller scale, but the contributions and donations received spanned some very fashionable brands and items. According to committee member Carly Kawanishi, some visitors brought and took home fancy cocktail dresses, crop tops, infinity scarves, athletic wear and even Victoria’s Secret bras to children’s coloring books!
Clothes left at the end of the thrift shop will travel around Los Angeles on the Mobile Clinic Truck and be delivered to a “dense” and very thankful homeless population that shows up at sites. By offering snacks, clothes and companionship, the Mobile Clinic provides a sort of pop-up community for those who need support most.
With chilly weather still persisting, particularly over cold nights, blankets, outerwear and hats would be greatly appreciated. Even if you don’t have warm items to give, novelties like backpacks, sunglasses, and even UCLA shirts are sure to brighten days and make great contributions. According to committee members, the meaning behind these items enhances daily lives and gives comfort to underprivileged community members. “Receiving these clothes, for them, means: I won’t be cold tonight; I can sleep a little nicer tonight; I won’t have to worry about getting sick tonight. These are thoughts that have a profound impact, especially when many homeless individuals are simply trying to get by,” say those spearheading the shop.
The UCLA student community has shown incredible support for the Mobile Clinic, with hundreds planning to attend the event on Facebook. This support exemplifies Bruin service, style and community. The committee, including Carly Kawanishi, Melissa Sun, Jimmy Zheng and Ariana Gobaud, explain the great feeling of support from UCLA’s community. “As an organization, the Mobile Clinic Project aims to advocate awareness for homelessness, so being able to host this event to such an accepting and open-minded audience really warms our hearts and fuels our motivation to continually support the homeless cause.”
If you’re on campus late or need some extra closet space, consider stopping by! You’ll be helping your community members and thrifting for a great cause.
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