Through a new Instagram campaign, a first-year UF pharmacy master’s student is hoping to kick-start clothing donations to the Gainesville homeless community.
Called the Who Wore it Better project, the initiative features 22-year-old Asad Shaikh posting photos of himself wearing a piece of donated clothing and then photos of a homeless person wearing the same clothing.
In between the photos, he writes, “Who wore it better?” which he said helps humanize the impoverished and encourages more people to donate.
“I want to help dispel some of the stereotypes that people might have about folks that are homeless,” he said
He added that the idea was inspired by side-by-side celebrity photos in magazines.
Although he began the campaign in Tampa in July, Shaikh began devoting more time to it once he moved to Gainesville and started at UF this semester.
He said he has donated about 80 pieces of clothing since the end of September.
In October, he started volunteering at Grace Marketplace in an effort to spread his campaign there.
Cori Krayer, the homeless shelter’s director of community engagement, said Shaikh’s presence has helped raise morale among residents.
“He is doing something that we can never do enough of, which is bringing more visibility to what we do and the population that we serve,” she said.
