Power in Partnership: How Clara’s Closet and Brookdale Are Building Stronger Communities

When Lunch Break needed space to grow, Brookdale made room for a vision to bloom.

In 2022, years of intention became impact when Clara’s Closet officially launched a satellite shop on Brookdale’s Lincroft campus at the Wellness Center. What began as a shared idea between President David M. Stout, Ph.D., and Lunch Break’s Executive Director Gwendolyn Love, evolved into a partnership rooted in dignity, stability, and access.

Clara’s Closet is named in memory of Clara Marie Nelson, who volunteered with Lunch Break for 20 years and served as its first clothing coordinator. Today, her legacy lives in a volunteer-driven model that freely provides clothing to students and community members in need. The partnership also extends to Lunch Break’s “Suit Up” program, offering new or gently used business attire for interviews, special occasions, and career milestones.

The need is real. National data shows that 59% of college students face at least one basic need of insecurity, including food, housing, transportation, childcare, and clothing. 23% of undergraduates experience food insecurity, often skipping meals due to cost. And while clothing strain is widely discussed among K-12 populations, with 2 in 5 children lacking properly fitted, seasonally appropriate attire, the same financial pressures increasingly surface among college students.

Clara’s Closet at Brookdale is helping rewrite that narrative.

Since opening on campus, annual engagement has steadily climbed:

• 1,260 shoppers served in 2023
• 1,500 shoppers served in 2024
• At press time, 1,513 shoppers were recorded as served through October 2025.

More than a clothing resource, Clara’s Closet:

• Reduces financial stress so students can focus on learning
• Provides free dependable access to essentials and seasonal staples
• Empowers confidence in classrooms and workplaces
• Strengthens community by removing barriers to participation
• Proves a simple truth: When students have support, they stay in school.

The impact continues beyond the shop floor. The partnership has sparked cross-campus collaboration with Fashion Club, Graphic Design, Sustainability, and Fashion Merchandising, as well as classroom initiatives that integrate service with learning, turning community support into community engagement.

Brookdale’s mission has always included the power of “community” in its name. Through Clara’s Closet, that word carries even deeper meaning.

For more information visit Clara’s Closet at Brookdale.