Between September 2022 and June 2025, Southern Oregon Goodwill donated $8,200 in vouchers to Rogue Community College students through the RCC Advocacy and Resource Center. Goodwill wanted to know:
- Did students buy clothing with the vouchers they received?
- Did students buy household items with the vouchers they received?
- Did students buy both clothing and household items with the vouchers they received?
RCC’s Advocacy & Resource Center Phone Survey
- RCC’s Advocacy & Resource Center Student Peer Assistant Morgan Land contacted 63 recipients during spring term of 2025.
- Twenty-one RCC students who received a Goodwill voucher gave feedback.
- We assembled the statistics.
Our Results?
- 57.14% of students purchased clothing with the Goodwill vouchers they received.
- 28.57% of students purchased household items with the Goodwill vouchers they received.
- 19.05% of students bought both clothing and household items with the Goodwill vouchers they received.
A few stories…
This student lived in a camper at that time and was able to use their vouchers to create a home office space for completing their coursework by purchasing an office chair, power strip, desk lamp and basket, along with some winter clothing. It was exciting to have that space and it helped them to focus on returning to school after 35 years. They think it made a big difference for them and they feel the program is a very important resource for the community to have, especially given that students might suddenly need cheap clothing when the weather changes.
Spent on mainly clothing for themselves and their child. They were both badly in need of shoes, since theirs had holes and their feet were getting soaked! They had also intended to replace some furniture, but weren’t able to find what they needed. They had no feedback regarding the process of using the vouchers, but they were very thankful for the assistance and would like to see the program continue.
They used their vouchers for blankets and winter clothing, plus some dishware. Without realizing, they were a month out from emergency surgery at the time, and besides helping with the compounding costs that they would have otherwise been struggling with immediately afterwards, it’s possible that assistance also bought them a few extra weeks of physical wellness by lessening stress. Because of that, they think it made a huge difference.
With their vouchers they were able to purchase clothing for their children and some household items. They had just lost their home to the fire in Talent, so they found it helpful to have that support, and didn’t remember having any trouble using the vouchers themselves.
It was very appreciated, as the student was going through a difficult time, not able to find enough work to pay for a lot of things. The vouchers were mostly spent on clothing and a few additional necessities, such as kitchen utensils. They found it very easy to acquire and spend the vouchers. They really think it’s worthwhile to continue the program—clothing wears out and, depending on the student, it could really help them out in the long run, since it means they won’t have to choose between being able to afford clothing or transportation, for example.
When their family moved, they had very little money, and they used the vouchers to get some essential items for their kitchen. They said this was extremely helpful at the time, and would like to see the program continue.
The Advocacy and Resource Center has applied for more Goodwill vouchers for the second half of 2025 and expects to receive them in early July.
For more information or to connect your students to this resource, contact Susan Bame at 541-956-7369 or message her on Teams. There will be an application available online for students’ convenience once the new vouchers arrive.