-Submitted photo
Volunteers sort through donated items to prepare for a past Share What You Wear event.

For the 17th year, Iowa Central Community College will hold the Share What You Wear event to benefit the community on Dec. 4.

Share What You Wear is an annual clothing event sponsored by the college to help those in the community who may not be able to afford necessities. All types of clothing can be donated along with toys, baby items, usable household items, sheets, towels, blankets, travel size toiletries, school supplies, and any new items that could be wrapped as Christmas gifts.

The only items they will not accept are major appliances, tube-style televisions, and ripped, torn, or stained clothing.

Jenny Shivers, Iowa Central’s advising director, said students, staff, and faculty all volunteer their time to set up the event and help out the day of the event.

“It’s really cool just to see our entire campus come together and help make this event happen. We spend all day Friday getting everything set up and it’s enormous. Then Saturday, anyone can come,” she said.

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Many toys wait to be taken home during a previous Share What You Wear event at Iowa Central Community College.

On Saturday, “We have men, women, and children’s clothes, coats, shoes, toys, tons of household items. Our dental hygiene clinic gives away free toothbrushes and toothpaste and there’s a gift wrapping area,” said Shivers.

There will also be a free breakfast and lunch.

Shivers said children will often pick out a gift for their parents and then wrap it at the gift wrap station.

“It’s fun to see the little boys and girls find something they really like for their mom or dad and they want to gift wrap it and keep it a secret so they can put it under the Christmas tree. The best part is seeing those kids so happy,” she said.

Shivers has been helping organize the event for 14 years and said they usually serve somewhere between 900 and 1,200 people.

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Hundreds of people look through the free items available for them to take home during a past Share What You Wear event.

“All ages come in the door from little tiny children all the way up to the elderly and they can come and take whatever they need for free. It’s cool to see all these families who may not be able to afford anything for Christmas and this is how they can get what they need to have presents under the tree for their kids,” she said.

Shivers said more volunteers are always welcome.

“We need volunteers to help gift wrap, carry things and help load things into vehicles, and just monitor and help with crowd control,” she said

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Shivers at shivers@iowacentral.edu or call 515-574-1252.

Donations will be accepted on the west side of the Career Education Building on the Iowa Central campus from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. On Friday, donations may be dropped off between 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the same location.

Anyone is invited to “shop” for the free items on Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. inside the Career Education Building located at 1 Triton Circle.