Students Helping Oz Peers (SHOP) is a student-run pantry in the basement of Penfield Library. Through Oct. 28, SHOP is running a professional clothing drive for those who might need attire for job interviews and other formal activities. Digital storytelling intern Sarah Tavella recently spoke with Ezra Wingard, the student coordinator of SHOP.

"We're a local food pantry on campus, and we provide free toiletries, clothing items, professional and winter clothing and toiletries," Wingard said.

"We just conducted our first-ever drive for this semester," Wingard noted. "We've gotten a lot of items from this drive such as, like, tomato sauces for pastas, a lot of mac and cheese as you can see, pasta items, ramen, and rice."

The college's State Employees Federated Appeals (SEFA) campaign helped promote the food drive because demand has been way up, so the SEFA Committee wanted to reach out to keep the pantry well stocked.

When the final counting finished, the drive brought in 534 items with a value of $1805, "so we're really grateful for everything SEFA has done," Wingard said. I just wanted to thank everybody for everything that you do for SHOP."

Next up is the professional clothing drive, running through Friday, Oct. 28, where SHOP will acccept donation of new and gently used formal-wear in their location, Room 3 of Penfield Library. SHOP is partnering with such entities as Career Services, EXCEL: Experiential Courses and Engaged Learning, the psychology department and others.

"We're hoping to be able to get professional clothing so that we can distribute it to students," Wingard said, hoping that is similarly successful to the food drive.

Wingard also emphasized that while students are the primary beneficiaries of SHOP, services are available to anybody on campus.

"If you're a staff member or faculty member at SUNY Oswego, anybody on the SUNY Oswego campus that either works here or attends college here is welcome to come down to SHOP," Wingard said.

"And if you're not aware of how SHOP works, basically you would come in that door right there, coming in from the library," Wingard said, gesturing toward the SHOP entrance. "So you go to the back of the library, right where the elevator is, and then go down to the basement, and we're in Room 3. ... You go up to our front desk, and what you would say is either you have a SHOP ID number and you would give that number or you would be a new student and you would register on our iPad, and then I would email you your shop ID number for next uses."

The hours for SHOP are Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 7 p.m.; Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; and Saturdays by appointment.

For more information, email shop@oswego.edu or visit the SHOP website.