A group of student organizations collected clothing donations from Oct. 7-10 to donate to Casa Marianella, a shelter for displaced immigrants in Austin.
Texas Rising, the Latin American Aspiring Law Student Association and the Gender and Sexuality Collective collaborated on the mutual aid project to support immigrants and refugees who may have lost housing and have limited financial resources.
The organizations accepted clothing donations on Speedway during the week and opened two 24-hour drop-off boxes in West Campus at the Texas Freedom Network Office on 22nd Street and Super Co-op on Nueces Street. The organization collected 90 articles of clothing from the donation boxes alone, said Isabella Carrascal, marketing director for the law student association.
“It’s important now more than ever to show that individuals can make change in the community,” said Sara Childs, a Texas Rising student leader.
Texas Rising came up with the initial idea and reached out to other organizations on campus for help collecting clothes, tabling and promoting the drive, Childs said.
“If we work together and organize, we can make small changes, and we can try and make a difference, or we can at least connect with each other and make each other feel heard,” Childs said.
Organizers extended the drive another day to give students and community members more time to donate, said Carrascal. Organizers also reached out to co-ops with “shared closets,” where residents can drop off unwanted clothes, to try and increase their total clothing donation to Casa Marianella.
“We know that students don’t have time to volunteer, unfortunately, so we wanted to make it very accessible,” Carrascal said. “That’s why we also decided to have those two boxes that were 24/7.”
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, immigration arrests and ICE presence have increased across the country, according to the New York Times. Carrascal said that with this increase, the organization felt it was important to support immigrant and refugee populations who do not have a home. She said the mission of the donation drive felt “close to home,” particularly as part of an organization with many Hispanic members.
“(Immigrants) aren’t just strangers,” Carrascal said. “We have international students at UT-Austin that look like me and that look like people that are being deported, and they shouldn’t have to be worried about coming to school or being harassed by government officials. It is very important to try and help our community as much as we can now to show support.”
