Centenary students Cooper Harris and Benjamin Asuncion-Crabb are leading a campus-wide clothing drive through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to help people in need prepare for the upcoming winter months.
The clothing drive will run through the start of Thanksgiving Break, with donation bins placed in high-traffic areas around campus and at major campus events. The collected clothing will be distributed to local organizations serving people in need, with potential recipients including the YMCA and Centenary’s student clothing closet.
The idea came as SAAC members brainstormed community service opportunities, giving Harris and Asuncion-Crabb the chance to turn their interest in helping others into a project that reaches beyond campus.
“When we were brainstorming ideas for things to do for community service as student athletes, it felt right to volunteer to co-head the clothing drive,” Harris said.
Harris, a junior on the lacrosse team, and Asuncion-Crabb, a sophomore on the soccer team, represent two different athletic programs on campus. Through their roles in SAAC, the two hope to encourage students across campus to participate in the drive and support the Shreveport community.
Asuncion-Crabb said working alongside fellow student-athletes on the initiative has helped bring the community closer together.
“I am able to make a difference in the community and on campus by gathering clothes for those in need,” he said, “as well as putting an opportunity out there for those who would like to make a difference in the city of Shreveport.”
With winter approaching, Harris and Asuncion-Crabb chose a clothing drive to help provide people in need with clothing for the colder months. However, organizing the drive has presented challenges, particularly with funding and gathering the materials needed for collection. Despite those early challenges, the two have continued working together to identify and establish donation locations and coordinate the drive.
For Harris and Asuncion-Crabb, the drive is also an opportunity to build SAAC’s growing presence on campus and establish a foundation for future community service projects.
Students, faculty and staff can support the initiative by donating clothing at collection bins around campus through the start of Thanksgiving Break. Although the organizers do not have a set donation goal, they hope to collect enough clothing to make a noticeable difference. They encourage members of the Centenary community to donate, emphasizing that even a small contribution can help someone in need.