Give and Go is accepting donations of furniture, clothes and some non-perishable food from students who are moving out from May 8 to 10 and May 12.
The program, which is hosted by the Community Outreach at the University of Connecticut, began in 2009 and has continued annually to today with a four-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Last year, the program diverted 8,359.6 pounds of donations from incineration, according to a Community Outreach website. They are planning to double their impact this year, according to an Instagram post.
Sydney Seldon, a senior dual degree major in environmental science and an individualized major on sustainable communities, is the program director of Give and Go.
“We do community partners every year, including some from last year,” Seldon said.
These partners will take and redistribute goods donated to them. She said that Community Outreach was working with 12 community partners, including some that they had worked with last year. Lighthouse Missions is also listed on their website, but they are still waiting for a final confirmation, according to Seldon.
This is an increase from eight community partners in 2024, according to UConn Community Outreach’s Instagram account. Some partners they are working with again that they worked with last year include the Covenant Soup Kitchen and Journey Home, which works to end homelessness.
“From 2009 to 2019, Give and Go was a program run by Community Outreach with the goal of giving students a way to donate goods when moving out,” Seldon said.
Seldon said that students looking to donate items can take them to Ratcliffe Hicks or one of 12 collection points. The website lists clothes, shoes, rugs, bedding, towels, storage containers, microwaves and mini-fridges as potential items to donate. Most items can be donated, provided they are not broken or perishable foods, according to Seldon.
Students can sign up to volunteer at collection locations on a Google Form at any time from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 8-10 and May 12. The form states that volunteers will be contacted with confirmation, training materials and other information 48 hours before their scheduled time slot.