Communication
With the courtesy of a clothing salesperson in any Saks Fifth Avenue or Bloomingdales, CI Communication majors Jessica McGinty and Allison D鈥橝ndrea re-stacked folded shirts and smiled at anyone pulling an outfit off of a clothing rack.
CI undergraduate and alumni volunteers offered a 鈥淢ay I help you?鈥� or a 鈥淭hat looks good on you,鈥� as people and families in need shopped at 鈥淭he Street Store,鈥� a project organized by students in Assistant Professor of Communication Nien-Tsu Chen鈥檚 Health Communication class.
鈥淭he Street Store鈥� () is a worldwide non-profit program in which volunteers solicit clothing donations, then open up a temporary 鈥渟tore鈥� in which those in need can browse through the donated clothing, try on garments in private dressing rooms, then select what they would like to keep free of charge.
Volunteers act as 鈥渃lerks,鈥� offering to help guests find certain items or keeping the clothing in tasteful displays on hangers or folded on tables.
鈥淲e鈥檙e getting people to donate clothing and shoes that we will display on event day,鈥� McGinty said before the event. 鈥淲e will set up a store where the homeless or anybody in need can come and 鈥榮hop鈥� in a dignified way without having to dig through trash cans or beg or go without.鈥�
Throughout the month of October, students collected hundreds of dresses, trousers, shirts, blouses, belts, shoes and other items through a donation site in Ojai Hall on the CI campus.
Then, on Nov. 18, the group arranged all of the garments, shoes and accessories on racks and tables outside the B.A. Huggins Community Outreach Center in Oxnard, which is linked with St. Paul Baptist Church, also in Oxnard.
Families began arriving immediately, and the CI Communication students began learning about just who is living on the edge.
鈥淚 learned just how many different situations people are in,鈥� said CI senior Allison D鈥橝ndrea. 鈥淚nitially, we were just expecting people who are homeless, and it turned out to be families.鈥�
Among those pulling out clothes for children was Lucy Lazcano, 42, who lost her job recently. 鈥淢y husband is the only one working,鈥� Lazcano said. 鈥淚 have four children. I can鈥檛 afford a $30 shirt.鈥�
鈥淐ustomers鈥� were limited to five items, but McGinty bent the rules more than once. 鈥淥ne man asked me, 鈥楥an I take six items?鈥� Five is the limit. He had jackets for himself and pants for his son,鈥� McGinty said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a veteran and now he鈥檚 a single father. I said 鈥榊es, yes, please, take what you need.鈥欌��
Learning about other people and situations while offering a community service is the meaning of the term 鈥渟ervice learning,鈥� a concept at the heart of CI. Center for Community Engagement Managing Director Pilar Pacheco pitched the idea of The Street Store to the health communication class because she thought this was an ideal service learning project. It exceeded her expectations.
鈥淭his is an opportunity for students to apply their in-class learning to making a meaningful difference in the community,鈥� she said.