Bear Boxes club held a clothing drive to support the Los Angeles Mission Homeless Shelter from April 10-12. Students were able to donate used or gently worn clothing in red buckets on the Quad.

Club co-leader Kendra Ross ’23 said the most rewarding part of holding the clothing drive was being able to see students help those in need.

“What comforts and gratifies me through this clothing drive is how unworn and gently used clothes that are no longer needed are being put to good use and given to those who do need clothes,” Ross said. “I am proud to encourage students in our school community to donate their clothes and participate in this wonderful act of charity that can mean a lot to the recipients of the clothes.”

Ross said Bear Boxes holds two community-service-related events every year.

“Last year, Bear Boxes held a drive one semester and a school-wide activity the other semester, and it was a great success,” Ross said. “Therefore, this year we wanted to do the same format, but we decided to start the school year with a school-wide activity and host a clothing drive the second semester. Also, this drive is a great way for students to do some spring cleaning for a good cause.”

Club co-leader Sophie Shabani ’24 said while the clothing drive itself was not hard to organize, encouraging students to participate was difficult because itstarted on the first day after Spring Break.

“The process of setting up this clothing drive was fairly easy,” Shabani said. “The only challenge we faced was figuring out how to advertise it over spring break. We found that sending an all-school email was super helpful in the end.”

Shabani said it was fulfilling to see the community work together to contribute to the clothing drive.

“I think that the most gratifying part about this donation drive was not only seeing students willingly donate their clothes, but also seeing the Bear Boxes club members excitedly help us collect all of the donations, advertise and support the drive,” Shabani said. “It was really exciting to see the [donation] bins on the Quad fill up so fast.”

Zoe Roth ’24, who donated clothes, said she thought the clothing drive gave students an effortless and practical way to give back to the community.

“I wanted to donate clothes not only to clean out my closet but also as a way to help people who don’t have the same access to necessities as I do,” Roth said. “It is really important to give back to our community and I am so grateful that I’ve been able to do that. Events like the clothing drive are super easy ways to make a difference in someone’s life.”