MADISON COUNTY, FL (WTXL) — North Florida College is asking the community to donate gently used professional clothing to help students dress for job interviews, internships, and their first day on the job.
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Inside the college's Career and Transfer Center in Madison County, racks of donated business attire make up the Career Clothing Closet — a free resource where students can check out suits, blazers, dress shirts, slacks, shoes and more.
Snowey Hagan, a career and transfer advisor at North Florida College, says the closet grew out of a single generous donation.
"One of our faculty members, Michele Wheeler, she's so inventive. She birthed this when the career and transfer center opened because she is a thrifter and a collector, and she had excess. And with that generous donation, it just grew and grew," Hagan said.
Hagan says many students underestimate how much professional appearance matters when entering the workforce.
"This is an incredible resource for students. I think students do not realize what a big deal job interviews are until they get out into the workforce. And sometimes, they may not be prepared for that," she said.
The closet has expanded significantly, with donations continuing to come in through a summer campaign.
"We've been collecting things all through our summer campaign. We went from just one rack to four over the summer. We've been collecting suits ties dresses formal wear. We've even gotten some dress socks which students don't think about they'll need," she said.
Organizers say every donated outfit can help build a student's confidence as they take the next step toward a career.
The Career and Transfer Center is accepting donations of clean, gently used business attire in all sizes. The center is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Snowey Hagan at hagans@nfc.edu.
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