CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When Dave Bailey needed a 500-pound barbecue pit moved from his Southside backyard onto a trailer, he knew he couldn’t do it himself.
“Because I couldn’t do it myself,” Bailey said.
He turned to Spare Hand Students, an app he found on Facebook that connects homeowners with local college students for odd jobs and chores around the house.
Two students showed up to help. One of them was Felix Jackson, a first-year student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Jackson grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and is studying rangeland wildlife and fisheries management.
Since arriving in Corpus Christi, Jackson said, finding work has been a challenge.
“I haven’t been able to find any. Like I’ve got a few interviews, but no jobs, you know,” Jackson said.
The pit was Jackson’s first job through the app. He heard about it from someone handing out flyers.
“It was great. It was better than I thought it was gonna be,” he said.
Jackson said the extra money helps cover expenses like his apartment and books. The app lets students pick jobs that fit around their class schedules.
For Bailey, hiring a student was about more than getting the job done.
“Oh, I felt good about it. I realized they need the cash,” Bailey said. “The guys were nice, efficient, showed up on time, and they got the job done.”
The first job has already led to another. Bailey is hiring Jackson back to clean his gutters.
“It’s just nice to give people an extra hand,” Jackson said.
Spare Hand Students started at Texas A&M University in College Station in 2024 and has since expanded to college towns across Texas and other states. In Corpus Christi, it currently works with TAMU-CC students.
How to sign up
Need a hand? Download the Spare Hand Students app on the Apple App Store or Google Play, or visit sparehandstudents.com. Enter your address, describe the job, and choose a student based on their profile, price and availability.
Want to lend a hand? TAMU-CC students can sign up through the student version of the app using their college email address, then set their own rates and availability.
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