Our Resource Closet
Our Resource Closet is an LGBTQ+ Affairs initiative started in March 2024. It is hard to do well in school when there are barriers to accessing essential care items. Our Resource Closet is here to fill gaps for students who have difficulty meeting their basic needs or acquiring gender-affirming clothing.
Poverty affects LGBTQ+ individuals more than their cisgender and heterosexual peers, especially LGBTQ+ people of racial and ethnic minorities. Rising costs of living, such as gas and food prices, can inhibit a student’s ability to perform well. By providing basic items for free, our Resource Closet supports students experiencing similar challenges so they can stay engaged.
The initiative was established with LGBTQ+ people in mind, but all students are encouraged to help themselves to anything they need. The offerings are supplied by donation and sponsored by LGBTQ+ Affairs.
Requests
If you need assistance with basic care items, you can make a request via email with the SAGE Center’s Manager. Whether you need hygiene supplies, a menstrual cup, or gender affirming shapewear, we will do our best to acquire the item for you. Please note we will not fill requests for razors, barriers of protection (i.e., condoms), food, packers, breast forms, gift cards or prosthetics.
Items that we cannot acquire due to budget constraints or purchasing policy limitations can be found on our wish list. Once the request is received, the recipient will get an email to come and pick up their item from the Office for Inclusive Excellence.
Should you be experiencing food insecurity, SHU Shares can provide you with meal swipes to be used in any dining facility on campus that accepts meal swipes. In addition to the meal swipe program, the SHU Shares webpage has a list of various resources to aid those in need. The resource list also has lists of local organizations that can help connect you to financial assistance.
Donations
The SAGE Center welcomes any material or financial donations towards its efforts to support students. Please do not drop items off in the SAGE Center for donation; all items should be brought to the Office for Inclusive Excellence in room SU-100 in the Academic Center on the Park Avenue Campus.
Items we accept include:
- Menstrual products (pads, liners, tampons, discs, cups)
- Hygiene supplies (deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, lotion, soap)
- Hair care products (Silk caps, hair ties, scrunchies, clips, shampoo, conditioner)
- New or gently used clothing
- New or gently used chest binders or shapewear
- Pre-packaged food items with clear allergen labels
When donating clothes, wash items in fragrance-free detergent. The items in most demand include hygiene items, menstrual products and granola bars. We cannot accept razors, homemade food, barriers of protection (i.e., condoms), packers, breast forms or prosthetics.
Financial donations can be made through University Advancement. When you make your donation, designate it to “Office for Inclusive Excellence” and leave a comment specifying the donation is for Our Resource Closet in the SAGE Center.