Dorm room donations to benefit community

One Hoosiers’ unwanted stuff has the opportunity to become another Hoosiers’ treasure.

Saturday is the first of several Hoosier to Hoosier community drop off days at Memorial Stadium.

IU students can donate any unwanted items in working condition to the IU Office of Sustainability’s first annual sale. The sale will be Aug. 21 at the stadium.

Graduate student John Patishnock, project coordinator for the sale, said the group will take anything students would expect to find in a typical dorm room or student apartment, such as clothes, small appliances, furniture and unopened, non-perishable food.

The rule of thumb, though, is to donate items in good enough condition that you’d lend them to a friend, Patishnock said.

Keeping the items that would normally go from Bloomington residences to landfills is the main idea behind the sale.

“We’re trying to reduce the waste generated during this one big event,” said Jacqui Bauer, chairwoman of the IU Resource Use and Recycling Working Group and Patishnock’s co-mentor.

Hoosier to Hoosier began as an extension of the IU Residential Programs and Services end-of-year collection in the residence halls. The program also formed because of an Office of Sustainability recommendation, a Monroe County United Way initiative and Patishnock’s own experience at Penn State University, which holds a similar “Trash to Treasure” sale.

“This is a product of his research, his background,” said Steve Akers, associate director for environmental operations for RPS and Patishnock’s co-mentor. 
 
Patishnock proposed the idea to the Office of Sustainability and then began planning. He connected the different groups and also gained the support of the IU Athletics Department.

We’re so thankful to athletics for donating that space,” said Katie Harvey, campus coordinator of IU United Way.

Pat Kraft, senior assistant athletic director of marketing for the IU Athletics Department, said the department thought it was a no-brainer to let the Hoosier to Hoosier Sale occur in the stadium because the sale supports the athletics department’s initiative to be the greenest department in the Big Ten.

The community is a key aspect of Hoosier to Hoosier, organizers said. Following Saturday’s collection, community members will have more opportunities to donate, but those times are yet to be determined.

On the day of the sale, everyone is welcome to browse and purchase items. The money raised will go directly into the community and will be split between the local Habitat for Humanity and United Way organizations.

However, the sale will be more than just an opportunity to purchase items. Patishnock said food, games and live entertainment are also planned for the event.

“We’re hoping Hoosier to Hoosier kicks off the beginning of the fall semester,”  he said.