Paul L. Foster School of Medicine students are encouraging El Paso residents to clean out their closets this October to make a difference for patients at the El Paso Baptist Clinic, located at 816 S. Florence St.

The El Paso Baptist Clinic is a free volunteer clinic founded in 1973 by longtime El Paso nurse Eleanor Poe. The clinic holds 22,000 patient charts, and new patients arrive every Saturday.

Paul L. Foster School of Medicine students, residents, professors and volunteers contribute many hours at the clinic.

Hyun Park, one of the students behind the clothing drive, said some of the funds used to keep the clinic open are raised through selling donations of gently used clothes.

“Every Saturday the clinic sells used clothes the patients can buy while they wait, with the proceeds going directly to the clinic,” Park said. “These fundraisers help keep in function a clinic that means so much to many people who would otherwise not have access to medical care.”

Anyone interested in participating in the clothing drive may drop off clothes at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Student Affairs Office in the Medical Education Building, room 1210. The drive ends Oct. 31.