In March 2016, a single, anonymous grab-and-go space for toiletry items quietly opened at the University of Georgia. It was called The Hygiene Closet.
Ten years later, what is now known as Bulldog Basics is a campus-wide resource providing free personal care and toiletry products to hundreds of students on UGA’s campus.
Led by the Student Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and founded in collaboration with UGA staff member Cara Winston Simmons, the initiative began with one goal: Make sure no student has to choose between buying shampoo and textbooks.
Simmons said when the program began, she couldn’t have imagined the scale it would reach.
“What I hoped for was a program that honored student dignity,” she said. “What I did not expect was how many people across campus would step forward and say I want to help. That still moves me.”
The program quickly grew from its original status as The Hygiene Closet, expanding to serve the entire Athens campus through an eStore, making ordering easier for students. The name was changed to Bulldog Basics in 2017 to better reflect the services it provides.
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted operations in 2020, Bulldog Basics shifted its model to online ordering, allowing students to request items for contactless pickup.
In 2023, the program moved with Simmons from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences to the Office for Student Success and Achievement in Milledge Hall, where she currently serves as staff director.
Today, Bulldog Basics operates through an online store that prioritizes accessibility and convenience. Students can order up to five items per week and pick them up at Milledge Hall.
Since its initial launch, Bulldog Basics has distributed thousands of essential items from laundry detergent to menstrual products. Students have picked up more than 765 orders in the 2025-2026 academic year. Since 2020, Bulldog Basics has saved students more than $95,000.
“Bulldog Basics is an important part of the basic needs network here at UGA,” said Julia Buwick, community of care coordinator in Student Care and Outreach. “Their mission of providing hygiene and personal items to students is essential for helping them access important items that can often be costly on a college budget.”
Bulldog Basics is funded through monetary and product donations and is supported by student staff and volunteers.
Find the Bulldog Basics eStore at bulldogbasics.uga.edu. Product donations to Bulldog Basics can be made at Milledge Hall. Monetary donations can be made online. For those interested in volunteering, email bulldogbasics@uga.edu.