Britney Deveault stands in front of the murals she painted on the FTCC Food Pantry and Success Closet. [Photo by Natasha Brown]
FTCC Foundation, Inc. celebrated the grand reopening of Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Success Closet on Tuesday, cutting the ribbon on the closet’s new location beside the Food Pantry in the back of the Horace Sisk Building.
Foundation executive director Sandy Ammons said the site move would make for an easier experience for those supporting and utilizing both resources.
“We thought it was a perfect pair to put them next to each other,” Ammons said. “It’s convenient for the students and it’s easier for the donors to find it.”
Sandy Ammons
The Success Closet provides students with free access to professional attire. The Food Pantry supports students who are in financial need with food, personal care items and grocery gift cards. Both resources are supported through FTCC Foundation and operated using work study students through Student Activities.
“Students can come in here and get a beautiful outfit to wear to a job interview, to wear to work and it really helps them in their career,” Ammons said.
In conjunction with the reopening, the Foundation dedicated a mural painted on the outside of the Success Closet. The art is the work of FTCC alumna Britney Deveault, who painted a mural in a similar style on the Food Pantry last year.
The mural was funded by a mini-grant provided by the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County. Sarah Busman, the Arts Council’s arts education manager, said Deveault’s work embodied the goal of mini-grants to take a “mini application and make a maximum impact.”
Britney Deveault cuts the ribbon in front of the Success Closet. [Photo by Natasha Brown]
“This public art in particular is in a space where a student may be wanting to see some joy and some comfort, and Britney’s beautiful murals do that,” Busman said.
The reopening and mural dedication took place on Giving Tuesday, an internationally recognized day of philanthropy.
“Giving Tuesday is a worldwide celebration of generosity,” Ammons said. “This is a tremendous way that FTCC gives back to our students.”
