Students, faculty and staff of Snead State Community College gathered inside the Academic Testing Center on Oct. 10, to cut the ribbon on the college’s new Parson Closet.
Just over a year after introducing the Parson Pantry, Snead State has opened the Parson Closet, which is designed to provide needed clothing free to students for daily wear, interviews or special events.
“We hope to take stress off students who may not have readily available the clothing that they need,” said Snead State First Lady Janet Whitmore.
The Parson Closet has been a dream of Whitmore’s for a long time.
“Alongside my husband (Snead State President Joe Whitmore), we have a goal to help students be successful in their careers, as well as make things as easy as possible for them while they are pursuing their educational goals,” Whitmore said. “I decided to retire in July of 2022 with my goal being to become more involved in the community and on campus. The more I became involved, the more I realized how many events students were involved in and their need for a variety of clothing. I wanted to do what I could to help them have ready access to what they needed.”
‘Big dream’
Whitmore said she and other staff members had been working for more than a year to organize and secure a location for the Closet.
“I knew my dream was big and I would need hard-working volunteers on my dream team,” she said. “I reached out to Jason Cannon (Vice President of Student Affairs), Brittany Goble (Director of Student Engagement) and Caitlin Dickerson (Math Instructor), who together also created our Parson Pantry over a year ago. Our maintenance department worked with us to convert what was once a storage area into a readily accessible closet for the students. They went far beyond what I expected in building the cabinetry in the closet.”
Thanks to local businesses and individual donations, the Closet has been stocked full of men’s and women’s clothes ranging in style and size to fit any student with a need.
“We have had student workers tirelessly helping hang and organize the clothing,” Mrs. Whitmore said. “Brittany, Caitlin, and I have secured business sponsors for clothing donations and contacted friends, family, and co-workers who have also donated clothing. Jason has been so supportive in securing the hangers and other necessities for the closet … We have had community members already donating and are very grateful for that. We have a greater need for men’s clothing right now as our inventory is lower for them.”
Hours of operation for now will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Fridays by appointment only. The Closet will be available to any current student. Student and staff volunteers will help run the Closet, Whitmore said.
“We are very honored to be serving our students in this way and thankful to the entire campus and community for their support,” Whitmore said.
Learn more about the Parson Closet by emailing parsoncloset@snead.edu.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Taylor Beck and originally published by Snead State Community College.
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