Student-run basic needs redistribution center to open in activities center
Good Clothes Good People, a nonprofit organization that collects and donates these products, collaborated with 16 student groups, including Undergraduate Students Asociation Council and Hunger Project at UCLA. Some students said they feel the redistribution center will give nontraditional students a welcoming space on campus. (Amy Dixon/Photo editor)
By Ashley Denktas
Nov. 2, 2018 12:28 a.m.
A student-run basic needs center opened Friday to distribute free resources on campus.
The Good Clothes Good People redistribution center in Student Activities Center B54 will offer students a centralized place to donate and pick up clothes, school supplies and hygiene products. GCGP, a nonprofit organization that collects and donates these products, collaborated with 16 student groups, including the Undergraduate Student Association Council, Hunger Project at UCLA and the Bruin Visual Arts club, to create the center.
Robert Watson, the founder of GCGP and internal vice president of USAC, said he believes the redistribution center will help basic needs-insecure students save money over time.
“When you are a student struggling to make ends meet and you don’t have money to afford things like textbooks or school supplies, even if it is a little something like picking up a shirt for free or not having to go to the store and buy tampons, those dollars add up,” Watson said.
Watson added all students and other individuals are welcome in the center, especially for its first public opening at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Cheng Zhou, the director of GCGP at UCLA, added the center’s services will also provide students access to professional attire for formal interviews.
Watson added he believes the redistribution center will strengthen the sense of community students experience on campus because students will be donating items to their peers.
“In a way it is a way for wealthier students or students who have access to these resources to give back to students who don’t. It creates a sense of community on campus because students are not just helping someone who is far away or doesn’t live in Los Angeles or doesn’t live at UCLA,” Watson said. “They’re literally helping their classmates, people sitting in their classroom.”
The center originally had issues with meeting fire regulations, but sought the help of UCLA Recreation to ensure it would meet UCLA fire marshal codes, Zhou said.
Rudy Figueroa, senior associate director of facility operations at UCLA Recreation, said in an emailed statement that UCLA Facilities Management adjusted the GCGP center’s sprinkler system and covered exposed wood to meet fire safety standards.
Watson added it was challenging to ensure the needs and desires of so many student groups were incorporated into the center.
“We want to make sure that we are working with entities that have been doing this work for a while (and) make sure that when we come together this is not just a space for one group or one community, but any student on campus,” Watson said.
Some students said they feel the redistribution center will give nontraditional students a welcoming space on campus. Diana Lopez, a second-year linguistics student, said she thinks the center can increase both access to resources and a sense of community on campus.
“Sometimes there are not a lot of resources for people, like commuters and transfers,” Lopez said. “(The center) can make things feel more comfortable on campus, make it feel like a home.”
Grace Roseman, a first-year cognitive science student, said she felt the redistribution center will foster a more open environment on campus.
“Students donating items will receive a sense of satisfaction knowing they helped others, while people who get items will feel thankful their classmates gave back to them,” Roseman said.
The center currently is completely volunteer-run, so hours have not been set for the year, Watson said. GCGP will announce official operating hours in the coming weeks.
