Food pantry and Professional Clothing Closet available at Health Sciences Campus

It can be easy to forget that students sometimes have needs that go beyond finding time to study and participate in clinical experiences. Their budgets may be stretched to the limit, especially toward the end of a semester, yet they need to appear professional when working in the Skills Lab, with preceptors or interviewing for jobs, residencies or fellowships.

Enter the Professional Clothing Closet, located in the student services area, room 121, at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPPS), which is helping students at SOPPS and the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences fill that need.

Open to the entire Health Sciences Campus, the closet is for any student in need of clothing, according to Amanda Padwa, SOPPS administrative coordinator for student affairs. “We do get some Decker students as well, and they’ve sent us a lot of donations of clothing,” Padwa said. “We even donated 75 items to the Q Center’s closet because we’ve gotten so many donations to ours.

“Most donations are from faculty and staff,” she added. “We have winter coats, scarves and shoes. My work study student, Allie Small, reviews each item for stains and rips, then puts them in size order so when students come in, it’s more like a shopping experience than a charity. Students often come in small groups and any possible stigma has already been removed in a short period of time.”

The closet first began accepting donations in spring 2022, but was moved to the back burner during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clothing requests ramped up again in fall 2022 and there are now three full racks of clothing. The closet is open every other Wednesday from 11 a.m.–1 p.m., but some people just stop by, Padwa said.

The majority of the clothing is for those who identify as female, though there is also clothing for those who identify as male. “We track how many items we have in each size,” Padwa said, “so anyone can find something. If we don’t have anything in a particular size, there’s a budget from student affairs for me to go to thrift stores to buy something, but I’ve not had to do that yet.

“We have nice variety of clothes. I’m thrilled with the response!” Padwa said.

Food pantry also available

In addition to the clothing closet, Padwa oversees a food pantry for the Health Sciences Campus, which is located in the same room as the closet. “We work in conjunction with the food pantry on the main campus, using the same order form,” Padwa said. “Students just need to check Johnson City as the pickup location on the form.”

There’s a smaller inventory with less variety at the SOPPS location, but most staples and menstrual products are on hand.

“Dignity is important, so all orders go out in nondescript bags,” Padwa said. “I get an email as soon as someone puts in an order, and I write the last name and pickup time on the bag, so if I’m in a meeting my student worker can give it out.”

Padwa said students are asked what they would like to have available in the pantry as well, such as different spices, baking mixes or salad dressings that are not the usual items stocked.

“I have a small budget from the main campus pantry if I need it,” she said. “We are affiliated with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier as well, which made sure we were handling everything appropriately. I had to go through food safety handling, so even though we don’t serve food, I know how to!”

Normal pickup times are 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m.-noon Fridays, which are common block hours for students so nobody is in class, Padwa said. “Students just show their ID and get their bag. Hopefully it’s quick and smooth for them. So far, it’s gone very smoothly.

“At the end of the semester, it picks up,” she added. “If a student needs food, clothing, tutoring, student travel, records, we’re basically a one-stop shop.”