Grizz Garments, located in the basement of the Oakland Center within the Golden Grizzlies Pantry, is a free clothing service available to Oakland University students. After a temporary pause in accepting clothing donations, the closet has recently begun accepting donations again.
About Grizz Garments
Grizz Garments operates in conjunction with the Golden Grizzlies Pantry, making the closet and pantry more accessible for students in need. The Golden Grizzlies Pantry supplies students with food, toiletries and cleaning supplies.
The Grizz Garments closet focuses on providing business casual and business professional clothing to students interviewing for internships or working in a professional setting. However, the closet also stocks spirit wear, graduation gowns, sheets, blankets, shoes, socks and winter gear.
“All items in the closet are available for students to grab — no costs and no questions asked,” Bella Levitt, manager of the Golden Grizzlies Pantry and Grizz Garments, said.
Students do not need to make an appointment to shop at the closet. Shoppers can simply walk into the closet during business hours and take what they need.
After shopping, students must fill out an exit form with the student assistant at the front desk of the pantry. The form serves as an inventory tracker, so Levitt knows when a closet restock is needed.
“There is no limit on how many times a student can utilize the closet, nor do we set limits on the number of items they may take,” Levitt said. “Students do not need to return the garments.”
Recently, the closet began an “outfit of the week” series. Each week, student workers style the mannequin in front of the Grizz Garments entrance with clothing sourced exclusively from the closet. The weekly outfit project’s purpose is to show OU students that Grizz Garments clothing can be trendy and stylish.
How to Donate
Several times throughout the school year, Levitt donates clothing from the Grizz Garments that have been sitting unclaimed for a lengthy period. The clothing is donated to Rochester Neighborhood House.
The purpose of these external donations is two-fold.
“By donating clothing that students do not prefer to the Rochester Neighborhood House, we keep the clothing in the closet trendy and current,” Levitt said. “The external donating also allows us to receive donations to Grizz Garments.”
Now that Grizz Garments is beginning to receive donations again, Levitt points out there are several criteria donators must follow.
“Each piece of clothing should come on a hanger,” Levitt said. “The garments should not be more than 10-20 years old. Additionally, clothing must be washed, without holes or stains.”
The Grizz Garments closet hopes to expand its services to include a wider range of professional wear in the future. One initiative Levitt would like to pursue is stocking scrubs in the closet so health science students do not face a financial barrier in obtaining their clinical wear.
For those interested in donating clothing to Grizz Garments, reach out to the closet through email at [email protected].
