Mississippi State University is competing with other Mississippi universities to collect as many clothes as possible for last December’s tsunami victims.
MSU students can leave clothes at drop off boxes located in the Student Association office near the State Fountain Bakery, at Mitchell Memorial Library, at the Aiken Village main office, in residence halls and at Chadwick Place apartment 105, said Emily Stone, director of the Student Association’s international Student Affairs committee.
At least three other schools-the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of Mississippi and Delta State University-are participating in the competition, she said. She was not sure if Jackson State University was participating.
The clothing drive originally involved only MSU. However, the student governments of several schools decided to make it a statewide competition to put rivalries between schools to good use, SA president Adam Telle said.
“We wanted to make it a statewide effort and make a statement that college students in Mississippi support the relief efforts,” he said.
The clothing drive ends Friday, Feb. 11, Stone said.
The clothes will be weighed, and the school that donates the most clothing in pounds per student will win the competition, she said.
The winner will be announced on Feb. 14, Stone said. She said there will probably be an activity on the Drill Field, but the SA is still working on the details.
The clothing drive was originally idea of the Indian Student Association, Stone said. “The Indian Student Association kind of had the idea, and then we asked if we could help out with it,” she said.
Stone said many students lack the financial resources to donate money for tsunami victims but have extra clothes for donations. “We just want them to get involved and feel like they can do something,” she said.
“We’re so blessed and we have way more than we need and the people over in Indonesia lost everything they have,” she said.
Courtney Schade, a Hull Hall desk assistant, said the boxes sat in the lobby for a week, and one was almost full. “I think it’s gone pretty well for how long the boxes have been there,” she said.
Schade said she has not donated clothes but made monetary donations. She plans on donating clothes when she cleans out her closet, she said.
“I think the clothing drive is important, but I think other things too have a purpose,” she said.
The clothing drive was originally scheduled to end on February 14, but the date was moved to February 11, for the clothes would get to Indonesia sooner, Stone said.
FedEx will ship the clothes for free, Stone added.