Career Closet

The Career Closet initiative was brought back to the Career Center in the fall of 2023, and provides our students with free professional clothing for interviews, internships, career fairs and professional presentations. Students can visit our Career Closet as many times as they need each academic year, and are able to keep any items that they take.

We invite alumni, community members and friends to donate new or gently used items to the Career Closet at any time. Please see the donation guidelines below to learn about the donation process and accepted items. If you have any questions about donating to the closet, please reach out to Katie Wohlman at katie.wohlman@lr.edu or AJ Bustle at adrianna.bustle2@lr.edu.

Donation Process

Where to Donate

Donations can be dropped off at the Career Center (Schaeffer Hall, First Floor). A staff member will be available to accept your donation in the Design Lab. If staff are unavailable, please leave your donation on the table by the main desk.  

If you have a large number of items to donate, please contact Katie Wohlman, katie.wohlman@lr.edu, to arrange a time to drop them off so someone can assist you.

Packaging Donations

  • Please neatly fold or hang clothing items.
  • Place items in clean bags or boxes.
  • Clearly label your donation with your contact information.

Tax Receipts

Tax receipts are available upon request. Please reach out to Katie Wohlman prior to bringing your items in if you will need a tax receipt.  

Donation Guidelines

For donation guidance, please review our Amazon Wish List for specific items that are needed. For any item on the list, feel free to select any size or color, as we prefer to have a variety of options available for all of our students. 

You may also consider donating some of your own previously loved professional items. 

Donated items may be shipped to the following university address.

Career Center
625 7th Ave NE, LRU 7347
Hickory, NC 28601

  • General Guidelines

    Condition

    • Items should be clean, freshly laundered or dry-cleaned.
    • Items should not have excessive odors (smoke, animal dander, etc.).
    • Items should be free of stains, tears, holes, missing buttons or broken zippers.
    • No excessive wear, pilling or fading.

    Seasonal Appropriateness

    • We accept clothing suitable for all seasons.
    • Please consider the current season and the upcoming one when donating.

    Professional Standards

    • Clothing should be appropriate for job interviews, internships and professional work environments.
    • Business casual and business professional attire is preferred. 
  • Acceptable Items

    Clothing (Masculine, Feminine and Gender Neutral)

    • Suits (matching jackets and pants/skirts)
    • Dress shirts, blouses and polo shirts
    • Dress pants, slacks and skirts
    • Dresses
    • Blazers
    • Sweaters and cardigans
    • Ties and bow ties
    • Belts
    • Dress shoes (clean, minimal wear)
    • Professional outerwear (coats, jackets)
    • Scrubs (tops, pants and sets – free of stains)

    Accessories

    • Briefcases, professional bags and totes
    • Professional-looking handbags
    • Hosiery (new, unopened packages)
    • Jewelry
    • Socks and undershirts (new, unopened packages) 
  • Items Not Accepted

    Non-Professional Clothing

    • Casual clothing such as jeans, t-shirts and shorts
    • Athletic wear, loungewear and sleepwear

    Damaged or Incomplete Items

    • Items that are stained, torn or excessively worn
    • Items with missing parts, such as buttons or zippers
    • Single shoes or mismatched pairs

    Other Items

    • Underwear (even if new)
    • Socks (unless new and unopened)
    • Non-professional accessories and jewelry