A campus food pantry and closet that offer food assistance and professional clothing to UW-Eau Claire students have opened in a new location.
Campus Harvest and Campus Closet have moved to the lower level of UW-Eau Claire’s Brewer Hall, 131 Garfield Ave., according to the university.
Campus Harvest, which opened in 2014, helps the “high percentage of students who self-identify as food insecure,” the university noted Monday in a news release. Most of the pantry’s items and funding are donated from the campus and community.
In July, the pantry is expecting to offer fresh produce from the McIntyre Library Community Garden, grown by library staff and volunteers.
In 2018 Campus Harvest organizers donated 150 pounds of produce to the pantry, and expect a larger donation this year due to a larger garden and upgrades, according to the university.
Campus Closet opened in 2018 to help students find affordable clothing for job interviews and career fairs. All attire in the closet is donated, and staff will help students to find clothing.
In the new space, the closet has dressing rooms and a room for ironing and steaming clothes.
Both pantry and closet were moved from Schofield Hall to allow for more space, said Equity, Diversity and Inclusion program director Demetrius Smith, who oversees the pantry and closet.
“The new space also offers an easier location for Feed My People to deliver food weekly,” Smith said in an email to the Leader-Telegram.
Campus Harvest and Campus Closet will be open 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Wednesday, Aug 7.
Both pantry and closet will close briefly after the summer semester ends and will reopen with hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays when the fall semester begins, Smith said.
Any UW-Eau Claire student can visit the pantry and the closet once per week, according to the university.
If students need to use the space outside those hours, they can email Smith at SmithDem@uwec.edu.
