The UCLA Basic Needs Redistribution Center is celebrating Giving Tuesday by continuing to provide for their fellow Bruins in need.
The Basic Needs Redistribution Center, located in the basement of UCLA’s Student Activities Center in Room B54, is a place where students can pick up basic necessities free of charge. Students behind the cause say that the need for it is greater than ever.
The center offers clothing, shoes, school supplies, toiletries and more — all donated by students to help their peers in need.
“It shouldn’t be on students to provide the most essential needs to be successful at college,” Basic Needs Redistribution Center founder and former UCLA Student Body President Robert Watson said.
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Watson established the Basic Needs Redistribution Center in 2018, which began as a series of colorful bins throughout campus.
UCLA’s administration eventually provided the space necessary for the center and its students voted to raise their own student fees to keep it in operation in 2020, which provides the center with tens of thousands of dollars in funds annually, according to the Daily Bruin.
“It’s always jam-packed, you see a ton of students come by with their containers, ready to get some shampoo conditioner or just anything really that they need,” UCLA Student Body President Naomi Hammonds said.
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Organizers say the high cost of tuition and living in Los Angeles continue to take its toll on students. Volunteer Natalie Liu spoke of a recent unhoused student who stopped by the center in need of shoes, among other things, but did not want to take too much.
“He could have taken all these free supplies, but he said, ‘No, I’m going to be grateful for the things I can take,’” Liu said. “And he was really sweet, and I’m really sad I didn’t get to give him his pair of shoes, though.”
Daily struggles such as these are why student leaders are pleading with UC and state legislatures to provide more help to students to prevent them from falling through the cracks.
“There will always be a group of students that struggle to have their needs met and a place like this should exist on every campus,” Watson said.
The organizers say both students and the general public can donate to the center. Donations of lightly used clothing are encouraged, especially dress clothing that students can use for job interviews.
