Thanksgiving is around the corner, and the Fullerton College fashion club gives back to a greater cause to show their appreciation for others.

For the month of November, the club welcomes students to ‘pay it forward’ by dropping off gently used shoes, clothes, and blankets which will be donated to the local Orange County Rescue Mission.

This is the first time that the club has partnered with the OC Rescue Mission, and plans are in affect to continue the tradition every fall.

OC Rescue Mission is a local organization that strives to provide meals, shelter, and clothing to people. There are also a variety of programs available that cover counseling, employment help, life skills, education and other services to the community.

“Giving is always in fashion,” said fashion club adviser Tamara Steffens. “These donations are important, people who are homeless and sometimes unemployed still need clothes, there are times when they need to go on job interviews and they should be able to look their best,” added Steffens.

On top of being the current fashion club advisor, Steffen is also instructing at FC this semester for the first time. The courses she teaches are fashion marketing, apparel analysis, retail and fashion buying. Her background is 10 years in women’s clothing manufacturing and the owner of the store Hippietiques.

Hippietiques is a bohemian vibes store carrying antiques, jewelry and other types of fashionable items. The store was once located in Downtown Fullerton but is now closed and Steffens continues to keep her store thriving online.

“My new venture is to teach, but even when my store was open, I used to always do charities, so I thought it would be a great idea for the Fashion Club to also give back to others in need,” added Steffens.

The club hopes to stay involved with the community and plans to partner with the Orangewood Children and Family Center soon. Steffens is anticipating members of the fashion club to gain a new experience by going to the center to teach children about fashion and how to sew fabrics together.

FC fashion club proved that fashion is not just about the clothes you wear, it is also about giving back to others in need to make them feel good about themselves.

Gently used donations will be collected and accepted until the end of November Monday through Friday 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in room 735.