Wellesley Community Celebrates the Reopening and New Location of the Wellesley Students' Aid Society Clothes Closet

Earlier this month, the community was invited to gather and celebrate the reopening of the Wellesley Students' Aid Society (WSAS) Clothes Closet. The newly renovated closet, which was most recently located in Green Hall, has found a new home in the Billings Link next to the Schneider Center on the first floor.

"We are very excited to be able to have this resource available to the students again," said Catherine Kefalas '89, executive director of the WSAS, in an email.

The clothes closet, which provides gently used clothing for free to any Wellesley student, is stocked through donations. The resource tends to be especially popular during the winter months when students need winter coats, boots, gloves, and other cold weather necessities, but it is used for all kinds of needs throughout the school year.

Recently, one student who found she had returned to campus without the shoes she’d need for gym class was able to find a pair in a pinch. Meridian Witt '16 modeled her new purple sneakers in a WSAS Instagram post.

The WSAS, which is independent from the College, is a non-profit organization that provides short-term emergency loans, tuition loans, and other means of support to Wellesley College students with demonstrated need. The organization comprises three staff members and 15 alumnae who serve on the organization's board of directors. WSAS provided over $1 million in grants and loans last academic year.

The first WSAS meeting was held in May 1878. The State of Massachusetts granted the organization a charter in 1916. The WSAS will celebrate 100 years of service to Wellesley at their annual meeting in June, they've encouraged the community to "Mark your calendars and come celebrate 100 years of supporting smart women."