The Resident Hall Association is turning spring cleaning into an opportunity for students to give back to those within their campus community.
The RHA is currently hosting a clothing drive to support students in Big Rapids who may be in need of essential clothing items. Donation boxes have been placed at the front desks of residence halls across campus to make contributing convenient for students. Students are encouraged to donate gently used items at their nearest drop-off box.
This initiative is part of the group’s broader effort to increase the quality of life for all students on campus. The clothing drive was an idea of the group’s recently instated philanthropy committee. This is an opportunity for students to get rid of extra clothes they don’t want to take home for spring break.
RHA will host a “Thrift for Free Event” at the end of the clothing drive, scheduled for March 19 from noon to 2:30 p.m. in room 211 of the David L. Eisler Center. During the event, students can thrift all the donated clothes for items they want and need without spending any money.
The timing of this drive aligns with students preparing to leave campus for spring break.
Construction management junior and President of RHA, Nathan Kramer, talked about where this idea came from and why it is being utilized.
“I feel that as we go into Spring Break, a lot of people go into cleaning mode and realize that they don’t always need everything they have and start to purge, so we thought it would work out that they can donate the clothing instead,” Kramer said.
As many students begin packing and reorganizing their dorms for spring break, they sort through their closets and often set aside unwanted clothes. Rather than discarding these clothes, the RHA is hoping that students will donate them so the clothes may have a chance at a second life.
“We just wanted to give residents a chance to be able to thrift for free, as we know quite a bit of people that like to go thrifting in general, why not try to do something like it on campus,” Kramer said. “We will also be donating the clothes after the drive to the community.”
Donation bins are accessible during normal residence hall front desk hours. Participation is simple; all students must do is gather whatever clothing items they wish to donate, like hoodies, pants, coats and shirts then bring them to the bins located at the front desk of any resident hall. These bins are red and have a poster on them for the RHA clothing drive.
All donations must be clean and in good condition.
The RHA is a registered student organization open to any Ferris student. They seek to improve the quality of life for students across campus and they do this through various social events and programs. The RHA hopes to create a stronger community at Ferris.
Public Relations sophomore, Lily Stocking, and Director of Finance for the RHA spoke about why something like this aligns with their group’s values.
“We wanted to get our RSO out there, but also wanted a way to help out and impact the residential community.” Stocking said, “We have already had multiple bins filled in multiple buildings, so it is safe to say residence halls are responding well. My little tip is if you haven’t worn it in at least a few months or years, it may be time to part ways.”
After the event concludes, the remaining clothing will be sorted and distributed to those in need within the Big Rapids community. RHA hopes that expanding their initiative off campus will help strengthen the relationship between the community and Ferris.
While the drive will help students get rid of unwanted clothes during their spring cleaning, it is also an opportunity to help support the community. Access to clothing and seasonal essentials can vary between students and initiatives like this are important because they provide a way to meet those needs.
With the “Thrift for Free Event” fast approaching, the RHA is encouraging all students to double-check their closets before heading home for spring break. A single donation can make a huge difference, whether it stays in the residence halls or reaches someone in the local community.
Students can make donations at their nearest residence hall front desk until March 7, and all will be welcome at the Thrift for Free Event later in March. What you no longer need could be invaluable to someone else.