The University of Connecticut’s Office of Sustainability and Community Outreach will be giving away free dorm items at Horsebarn Hill between Thursday and Saturday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The event will be held at 3107 Horsebarn Hill Rd and will include “used dorm room items like storage, microwaves, and mini-fridges,” according to an email from the Office of Sustainability.
Graduate student Caroline Keary, the zero waste coordinator at the Office of Sustainability, talked about how the event will be run.
“Anyone who’s in need of an item for dorm accessories… they can come to our office down by Horsebarn Hill, and our interns and volunteers will help you find the items and show you what we have available, and you’ll be able to take it away for free,” Keary said.
Students will need to bring their UConn student ID card to take any items. Keary encouraged students to bring a friend if they intend on taking any large items, as there will not be any options for item transportation.
The items were collected at the end of the 2025 spring semester as a part of the Give and Go program, “an initiative hosted by Community Outreach intended to divert waste from landfills by providing students moving out with an easy and accessible way to donate the items they no longer need rather than throwing them out,” according to the program’s website.
The Give and Go program was hosted annually from 2009 to 2019, but went on hiatus at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was revived in 2024 and has continued to be held annually since then.
This is the first year that the items collected from the Give and Go program will be offered back to UConn students, according to Keary.
“Before [this year], we gave it to community partners… and the community at large, because a lot of it was random items that students wouldn’t necessarily be able to use,” Keary said. “We’re proud that we have things that we can give back to the students, especially those who need it.”
The items will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Keary.
“It’s going to be first-come, first-serve, so if we don’t have items to make it to Saturday, then we won’t be open Saturday,” Keary said. “It really just depends on turnout… if you definitely need something and want something, try to get there on Thursday; that would be your best bet.”
Keary talked about the Office of Sustainability’s goal with the event.
“We want to give back to students and be here for the student body as much as possible,” Keary said. “I’ve seen first-hand… how exciting it is to be able to give people things that would have otherwise gone to waste, and it’s really important because, if you’re going to throw something away, why not just give it to someone who needs it?”