University of Connecticut Give and Go will provide students moving out with an easy and accessible way to donate the items they no longer need.
Students can drop off items they were planning on throwing out to collection spots, located in all the residential hall areas from May 1-4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Off campus students can drop off their donations at the Ratcliffe Hicks Arena, located off Storrs Road at the same time. A map of all drop off locations can be found on their website.
Community Outreach has hosted Give and Go each year since it began in 2009 until the COVID-19 pandemic as a part of a campus wide effort to increase institutional sustainability initiatives. This year, the program returns following a couple years off, and will continue to divert waste from landfills and provide community organizations with donations they need.
Sydney Seldon, a junior majoring in environmental science and sustainable communities, decided to bring back the initiative this year, becoming the program director. Seldon said about 300 volunteers are needed to assist with donation collection, sorting and other tasks, and anyone is welcome to sign up to volunteer.
“This is a massive effort with collecting donations from across campus, and sorting new donations, it takes a village, so yes we are actively recruiting volunteers,” she said.
Seldon said anyone can volunteer whether it be students, faculty and community members. Volunteers can sign up to work as collectors, who will be stationed at the locations to help students bring items to the tents, or sorters at the Ratcliffe Hicks arena to organize donations by category. Volunteers can also work to set up the equipment at the beginning of the day and dissemble the tents and signs at the end of the day.
In 2018, UConn students donated 5,423.15 lbs. of goods to local community agencies. This year, Seldon said she hopes to get as many people involved as possible.
“The goal this year is to just get it on people’s minds again and to reinstitute into campus culture again,” Seldon said.
This year’s community partners include Opportunity Works, Covenant Soup Kitchen, Windham Area Interfaith Ministry, Journey Home, Midnight Run and Holy Family Home and Shelter.
“A big intention of this was at the end of the year, so many valuable items are thrown out for so many reasons, [whether it be], students live out of state and can’t ship them back or students are moving somewhere else,” Seldon said.
Seldon said it is a great opportunity to refurbish valuable items that would have been thrown away in dumpsters as thousands of students clean out their dorms and apartments for the summer.
All items must be clean, functional and in good condition to be donated, according to the website. Items such as clothes, rugs, bedding, towels, storage containers, chairs, microwaves, mini refrigerators and other household items will be accepted. Smaller items such as nonperishable food, office supplies, toiletries and other cleaning supplies will also be accepted. A full list of acceptable items can be found on their website.
Seldon said anyone in the UConn community can donate items, including students, staff, faculty and community members.
“We are hoping that Give and Go gets folks thinking about where their items are going and the lifecycle of those items as well,” Seldon said.
Any questions about donating or volunteering can be directed to uconn.co.giveandgo@gmail.com