This spring, Campus Cupboard introduced the college’s first-ever campus closet, expanding its services and now offering clothes at no cost to the community. The closet was founded by junior transfer Joren Weller-Vanhollebeke.

Campus Closet is located in the basement of the Bahls Leadership Center next to the cupboard and is staffed with volunteers from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. However, Weller-Vanhollebeke said it’s open to students whenever they may need it. 

Weller-Vanhollebeke said her experiences utilizing Clock, Inc.’s gender affirming closet, an LGBTQ+ community resource in Rock Island, inspired her to start her own version of the closet. During her transition, Weller-Vanhollebeke said she frequently visited their closet and wanted to provide students with a similar space on campus. 

Weller-Vanhollebeke first came to Augustana this fall and said she saw a need for a closet within the campus community. 

“I really just wanted to create some sort of shared space and a community resource, much like the food pantry is,” Weller-Vanhollebeke said. 

The idea first started as her “passion project,” she said, spending the fall brainstorming and contacting faculty to see where the closet may fit. But, Weller-Vanhollebeke said she didn’t get an official “go-ahead” until she took matters into her own hands. 

“I went and put racks in the [Bahls Leadership Center] basement. I just kind of went there and jumped the gun,” Weller-Vanhollebeke said. “And eventually, I got to meet with Pastor Melinda.” 

Pastor Melinda Pupillo serves as the staff advisor to the Campus Cupboard and Closet. Weller-Vanhollebeke called Pupillo “the glue” in bringing her dream of Campus Closet to fruition. 

Senior Syd Tajkowski serves as director of the Campus Cupboard and said since the closet has been added on, it has become a “one-stop shop” for students’ needs, providing food, hygiene products and now clothing. She said their main goal is to empower students and eliminate the stigma that surrounds asking for help. 

“Students can’t be empowered if they don’t have basic resources, so we are here to meet those basic needs so that students can not only excel in their daily lives but academically, in sports and in clubs,” Tajkowski said. 

In creating the closet, Weller-Vanhollebeke said she wanted to make sure that students not only had access to clothing but also the ability to freely express themselves through their clothes. 

“I think clothing is the first step for everybody in self-expression,” Weller-Vanhollebeke said. “You look at someone’s clothing before you really judge them.” 

Senior Carter Kenney is the assistant director of the Campus Cupboard and said he runs volunteer management and engagement. One thing that they are now working on is how to process clothing donations and discern their quality. 

“Food has an expiration date on there. It’s kind of black and white there, but with clothing, you have to have more of that knowledge,” Kenney said. 

Through the closet, Weller-Vanhollebeke said she hopes to foster more of a circular economy on campus, encouraging others to think about how they consume. 

“Fast fashion is more than just buying from Shein, Temu or these big brands. It’s also more so the seasonal clothing that Target puts out every few months,” Weller-Vanhollebeke said. “Most of our textiles get thrown away because it is more cost-effective to throw them away.”