College-in-the-Woods is holding its annual “Thrift in the Woods” event to raise funds for the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), which supports underpaid garment workers around the world.

The annual “Thrift in the Woods” event, located on the second floor of the College-in-the-Woods Dining Center, ran on Monday and Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will continue on Friday, temporarily pausing due to high demand. The curated pop-up store has men’s and women’s clothing priced between $1 and $5. The shop sells a variety of clothing, from overcoats and formal dresses to shoes and accessories, and will give store credit for each pound of donated clothing.

The event was organized by Bian Suzuki-Wolf, vice president for multicultural affairs of the College-in-the-Woods Council and a sophomore double-majoring in computer science and mathematics, along with assistance from the rest of the College-in-the-Woods Council. This is the first year the College-in-the-Woods Council has hosted the thrift shop event. In previous years, the pop-up thrift shop donated its proceeds to the Binghamton University Nature Preserve and the BU Food Pantry — a member of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. This year, profits will be donated to the CCC.

Suzuki-Wolf announced that the “Thrift in the Woods” event sold about 75 percent of its initial stock, which was about 450 items, on its first day open. Due to the overwhelming support, the College-in-the-Woods Council decided to close the shop on Wednesday, Thursday and over the weekend. The event will end when 90 percent of the items are sold.

Suzuki-Wolf organized the event to bring awareness to sustainable shopping and give students the opportunity to make an impact.

“I wanted to run an event that reflects my values,” Suzuki-Wolf wrote. “All proceeds go to the [CCC], which helps garment workers get the money they are owed in Asia and Northern Europe.”

The CCC, founded in the Netherlands as the Schone Kleren Campagne in 1989, is a global network of 235 organizations in more than 45 countries. The organization works with labor unions, feminist organizations and labor rights groups across the world. In 2020, the CCC helped Kanlayanee factory workers win $110,000 worth of compensation in a case of wage theft in Thailand.

Laurie Kern, an undeclared freshman, donated clothing to the thrift shop, a process she said she went through with ease.

“I had a lot of old clothes that I was going to get rid of, but I had nowhere to donate them, so I’m really glad that [College-in-the-Woods] hosted this,” Kern said. “The location was really convenient for me, and I’m happy that it promotes sustainability.”

Alyssa Weber, an undeclared freshman, said she was able to find a variety of clothing when shopping.

“I saw an ad for this in a GroupMe, and I was glad to find a place to donate my clothes without them going to waste,” Weber said. “The clothes were affordable, and there was a lot to choose from. Seeing how fast the clothes sold out, I hope BU holds more events like this in the future!”

The pop-up thrift shop will reopen on Friday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Students can find additional information on B-Engaged.