Keene State College’s Eco Reps collaborated with the class of 2026 to provide students with Hootie-shaped sugar cookies and a solution to wardrobe shortages on Friday, Feb. 24.
There were multiple tables set up with a variety of activities for passersby to participate in, in the Flag Room of the Student Center.
The main attraction was the handful of tables which were completely covered with a variety of different clothing items. The items were free and people who passed through were encouraged to take anything they wanted.
Eco Reps member Donta Selden said, “There’s a bunch of people collaborating. We’ve got clothes from class of ‘26 and Eco Reps, as well as the Thrifty Owl.”
Any leftover clothes after the event concluded were donated to the Thrifty Owl and nearby thrift stores, Selden said. During the event, representatives of the Eco Reps collected donations from students and put them in a bin by the entrance.
In addition, the Wellness Center also had a table with multiple ambassadors who were ready to give out information and stress balls. Wellness Center ambassador Julia Beliveau described that they “have the Wellness Center table at events and in the student center because we like to advocate our resources to people coming to Keene who might know we exist, but not know what we can do for them. We offer therapy and counseling services that they can sign up for.” Attendees of the event took pamphlets and rocks as well.
There was another table that had a variety of different snacks on it, such as Hootie-shaped sugar cookies and heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies. This table featured members of the class of 2026 who greeted those who came by. “We’ve got good traction and good attention. We’ve got some leftovers, but I’ll take what I can get,” said class representative Peter Schmidt.
President of the Eco Reps Jessica Lawton had a lot to say about the event. “We’re really excited, this is the second year we’ve done this. We reached out to orgs that promoted self-love. We wanted to make it bigger than last year, so we reached out to clubs we’ve previously worked with and the Class of 2026. Now we’re two years strong and we’ve got a ton of clothes.”
The planners were not the only ones happy with how the day went. Junior Gray Hardaker made the most of the event. Hardaker was already familiar with the event, being a desk worker in the student center and part of the team who helped to put up posters and cleaning the Flag Room once the event was over. “I brought in some sweaters of my own and I took one, a fun little purple and orange one.”
Schmidt discussed future plans for Keene’s current first-year students. “We’re definitely looking forward to more social events and hope to attract more interest with student involvement. We’re working on some big events, hopefully a nice spring event,” he said.
Zach Murphy can be contacted at
Zmurphy@kscequinox.com
