COLORADO SPRINGS — UCCS' free closet helped triple the number of students this semester compared to last. The free food cupboard served the highest number of students so far this semester than ever before.
"You always hear the saying, 'broke college students,' yeah it's real," said senior Isabella Polombo.
For some students, like Polombo, it could come down to deciding whether to buy nice clothes or something to eat.
"I'm a paying student here, I pay for all my tuition and I use scholarships but that's not enough," said Polombo. "I made sacrifices and a lot of it was food."
She thanks Clyde's Cupboard for helping her get through, "especially that freshman year, a majority of my meals were that cupboard."
73% of undergrad students get some sort of financial aid and 35% come from low-income families, according to UCCS.
A cupboard staff member, Kristen LaRoy, said they currently serve about 180 students weekly, which is triple the number from fall 2022.
"According to NCHA data, which is the National College Health Assessment, 48%of our students are facing food insecurity and so it's vital for us to get food resources for our students," said LaRoy.
At Clyde's Closet, sophomore Eileen Tierney, picked out some nice clothes for job interviews.
"It has been kind of tight and that it was really a saving grace," said Tierney.
She told me if her grades slipped, she would have to pay for college and rely a lot more on Clyde's Closet, "because I would start working a lot more and trying to further, like further where I currently work or try to get a better job."
You can donate gently used professional clothing or food for UCCS students in need in person. For food, click here for a list of items needed most. For clothes, click here.
Clyde's Closet is partnering with JCPenny off of Powers for student discounts on clothes this Saturday 9/28.
Clyde's Cupboard is having a 'food fight' with CU Denver starting Oct. 21st to see who can raise the most money for their pantry.
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