OSHKOSH (WLUK) — Right in the heart of Reeve Union is the annual UW-Oshkosh thrift pop-up, where students can grab up to 10 free items donated by community members.
“It all kind of started when we realized the students were having basic needs insecurities,” said Stacy Dreweck, New Student and Retention Programs assistant director. “We wanted to kind of fill the gap. We offer some things already on campus, like we have the career and professional development office that has a career closet, so they can get clothing for interviews and things like that. We have a food pantry on campus, but we were like, ‘What else can we do to help students?'”
On Tuesday and Wednesday, students could find clothing, bedsheets, kitchen items, books, board games and more, all for the taking. There were approximately 5,000 items donated this year. Dreweck said the offerings have doubled since the pop-up began four years ago.
“We work with the campus, so we have students donate, and usually, we get those collections from the residence halls,” she explained. “But then we’ve kind of expanded a little bit, so we have campus community, like staff and faculty, who donate, and we work with the community as well.”
Chancellor Manohar Singh told FOX 11 the pop-up adds life to Reeve Union.
“This is a marketplace, if you would. It’s a little mall here,” he said. “We have a university shop right behind, so whether you’re looking for supplies or clothing or coffee, this is a city.”
Dreweck said in the future, the university is looking to expand the thrift into more than a two-day event.
“Ideally, we would love a permanent location. But if not anytime soon, then we’ll just keep doing this. All the students seem to love it. They love to find hidden treasures and things like that, especially when it’s free,” she said.
Dreweck added any leftover items from the thrift are donated to local charity organizations.
