H2H to collect items during summer season

Your trash can be someone else’s treasure.

The IU Office of Sustainability kicked off a new initiative last week called Hoosier to Hoosier.

H2H, a new program in partnership with the United Way of Monroe County, is collecting items that many people typically dispose of and matching them up with people who need them.

H2H is collecting and storing donated goods until the end of the summer, when they will have a one-day sale. All of the money from the sale will go to the United Way of Monroe County and local Habitat for Humanity chapters, and any items that are not sold will be donated to a number of other local charities.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to donate gently used items. H2H is collecting everything from clothes to furniture to cleaning supplies. Collection dates are scheduled for May 10 and 11, when they will be collecting from several greek houses and residence halls.

Senior and donor Rebecca Walk is happy H2H is fulfilling a need in the community.

“The first time I saw a college town during graduation, it bothered me,” Walk said. “People were throwing stuff away and just putting it on the curb. When I would see it on the curb like that, it would drive me nuts.”

H2H is a project developed by John Patishnock, an intern at the IU Office of Sustainability. Patishnock has been working on the initiative since last fall. He has created partnerships with the United Way, Residential Programs and Services  and local nonprofits in order to pool resources and make H2H a success.

“There are so many groups in Bloomington working for this goal, keeping items out of the landfill, and connecting items with people in need,” Patishnock said.

Throughout the summer, H2H hopes to have several more collection days. Volunteers are needed to help on collection days and throughout the summer to sort through and
prepare items for the big sale Aug. 21.   

Samantha Bray, the volunteer coordinator from United Way,is looking for students interested in helping out.

“It’s hard because it’s over the summer and most of (the students) are gone,” Bray said. “We are trying to find outside resources, but it’s a student project, so we’d really like students to be involved.”