UniCycle: A School Uniform Recycling Program in Nashville

UniCycle is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) that supports and supplements the work of the Homeless Education Resource Office within Metro Nashville Public Schools. Its signature service is a school uniform recycling program that orchestrates the collection and redistribution of outgrown, gently-used clothing to provide Standard School Attire (SSA) to Metro Nashville Public School students who need it. Volunteers collect school uniform clothing in participating schools, then redistribute it to other MNPS students, primarily though the Homeless Education Resource Office for families in transition (HERO Program). Most schools in the Metro Nashville Public School system require a basic uniform of collared, solid-color shirts and khaki, navy blue or black pants, shorts, skirts or dresses. Students bring their outgrown SSA items to school and the clothing is corralled in a designated UniCycle laundry basket. Volunteers collect the basket when full and clothes are carefully screened, cleaned, organized and then sent home to students in need, per request of the HERO staff or other MNPS personnel. Efficient collection and redistribution at the school level keeps things quicker and easier for parents and students on both ends of the recycle stream. By serving as both collection and redistribution agency and keeping drop off and pick up points primarily in school, UniCycle takes what is essentially a chore for everyone – cleaning out outgrown school clothing and doing something useful with it on one side, and seeking out and purchasing appropriate school clothing for constantly growing students on a tight budget on the other– and essentially eliminates those items from the to-do lists of everyone. In addition to offering a hand to parents and well-vetted clothing options to students who may have very limited choices, providing SSA to students in need supports school district personnel and federal programs, such as the HERO Program, that are charged with ensuring all students have appropriate school uniforms. WHAT ELSE DO WE DO? UniCycle is the fiscal agent for the HERO Family Fund, which serves as a tool for HERO Family Outreach Specialists to provide items that are critically needed by families in unstable housing, but are not readily offered by other community partners. Some examples of this include gas cards or ride-share services, healthcare items, specific emergency food needs and work-related items. Donate to the fund and to UniCycle's school uniform program operating expenses at www.unicycleforschools.org/donate.