The Environmental Club of Oak Park and River Forest High School will host a thrift store in the East Gym on April 27 and 28 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Leading this event are senior Manolo Avalos, president of the club, and sophomore Lyla Ramos, project leader for the thrift store. Other club members involved include sophomores Ella Steffen, Sara Issel, Lily Bellmar and Ruby Slocum. The sponsor of the club is Cindy Wong.

Second-hand clothing and goods donated by those who would like to give away their good-condition belongings will be avaliable for purchase. There will also be opportunities to donate directly to charities for people who are in need.

Members of the club organized the event to help people in need during the cold winter and spring seasons while also combatting wastefulness. 

Wong said the team is “making flyers and using social media to promote the event, possibly making a Newscene, putting out donation bins around the building, collecting the donated items, setting up the event and working at the event and distributing the proceeds to a local charity.”

According to Wong, the thrift store will be held among other events organized by the club in honor of Earth Week. “By donating and thrifting, you actively conserve the Earth’s resources by keeping clothing in use longer, which reduces the need for new clothing to be made,” she said. “And eventually, giving clothes a second life represents you taking a stand for environmental justice. Thrifting keeps clothing from going into the trash and potentially polluting someone’s backyard.”

Ramos talked about the hard work the group has put in. “Our team has been working on this project all semester,” she said. “Unfortunately many people don’t seem to care about the climate situation unless it directly affects them. By making this thrift store we are helping take clothes away from landfills, teaching kids to reuse old clothes, while making it fun for all involved.” 

“The money from the event will also be used to help the nonprofit the Alliance for the Great Lakes, while any extra clothes will be given to other local thrift stores,” Ramos added. 

Avalos said, “We will be collecting donations starting on the first of April, after spring break. So do some spring cleaning on spring break, and you can bring [donations] into the Student Activity Center.” 

Students can donate any belongings in good condition. You can find more details about the event by contacting Cindy Wong at [email protected].