URI Campus Recreation sought out a way to make the giving and receiving aspect of this holiday season easy, affordable, and sustainable. Drop, Swap, and Shop went on for the duration of three weeks, beginning the 19th of November, and ending December 11th. Beginning the 19th of November, students were encouraged to drop off gently used clothes at the Anna Fascitelli lobby. This gave students the opportunity to clean out our closets before the holiday season, while at the same time, pick out an article of clothing in return. After the drop period, students were welcomed to attend the swap and shop period, giving us the ability to pick out clothes from other students free of charge!

Being Well during the Holidays 

Campus Recreation is centered around holistic well being and ensuring that students can better themselves socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually, financially, and environmentally. As college students, the holiday season can prove financially stressful. With gift giving, travel costs, and academic stress, it can prove difficult to maintain financial wellness at this end of semester/holiday crunch. In aiming to promote financial well being, this event was tailored to make the financial aspect of the holiday season easier for students. There was a variety of clothing to pick from, saving me a trip to the mall, and better yet, it didn’t cost a dime! Not only did students get to pick out free clothes, but also had the chance to declutter their closets, and pass along items no longer used. 

URI Campus Recreation also supports the importance of environmental wellness. Placing an emphasis on respecting the land we occupy, and taking steps to better the wellness of our environment. With climate change increasingly becoming an urgent issue globally, it is essential for us as students to seek out ways to better our environment. Fast fashion is a growing dilemma, which heightens carbon emissions, and requires usage of vast amounts of plastic fibers. This ultimately creates an immense amount of textile waste. Students took advantage of Drop, Swap, and Shop, not only to clean out their closets and find clothes for themselves, but to contribute to sustainability. By repurposing gently used clothes provided by peers, students were able to promote sustainability on campus by reducing the purchasing of new clothes, ultimately reducing negative contributions to climate change.

Drop, Swap, and Shop proved to be successful! After dropping off some of my own gently used clothes, I was able to look at the articles of clothing from other students. Ranging from running sneakers, winter coats, athletics clothes, sweaters, and casual tops, there was a large variety of clothing for students to choose from. Some of my friends were able to snag some T-shirts, perfect for working out or just chilling. We were all pleased with the accessibility of the event, along with our fellow students’ great taste in clothes!