At UNT Dallas, help is not limited to classroom studies. Students at the campus in Southern Dallas can shop for free food and clothing at the school’s expanded Trailblazers Care Pantry and the new Trailblazers Care Closet.
“This university tries to stand as a beacon of hope and opportunity for the students and the larger community, just to help them out,” UNT Dallas student government representative Hayden Wochele said. “Because, you know, money is tight for some people these days.”
The Trailblazers Care Pantry started small during the pandemic to give students stress-free access to food. The pandemic ended, but the need did not. That’s why the pantry has been expanded, through a partnership with the North Texas Food Bank, and donations from the Mark Cuban Heroes Center and the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation.
“For me, it’s like a no free judge zone. Whoever is here, they won’t judge. You can shop around, get whatever you need,” UNT Dallas junior Ivethe Moran said. Moran has used both the Trailblazers Care Pantry and Care Closet. “Sometimes I don’t have the clothing I need to look proper, so we do get donations from the pantry that’s next door.”
This week, UNT Dallas held a grand opening for its new Trailblazers Care Closet, filled with gently used donations of professional attire, some new items donated by Uniqlo, and toiletries.
Both of the resources are free to students.
“It allows them to focus on their studies, right? And it alleviates stress in other areas, too. Maybe there’s parts of their lives where it’s stressful, right,” Wochele said. “They don’t have to worry about that.”
UNT Dallas also hosts a monthly mobile food pantry for the community in Southern Dallas in partnership with the North Texas Food Bank. The next mobile pantry is Friday, February 20th.