Large bins placed in dorms help local service collect donations during student move-out

Don’t throw your trash away in these; they’re not trash cans. The three containers located in the first floor of every residence hall on campus are donation bins for the program “Throw and Go.” Every year, National Residence Hall Honorary in partnership with Portage County Family and Community Services organizes the program.

“(In the sets of bins) we accept clothing, nonperishable food, miscellaneous items, small appliances, books, whatever,” said NRHH president Alexander De Jesus. “Then we have a separate area for large item donations. So a futon you don’t want, side table – anything big that won’t fit in the bins – goes to the large item donation.”

Each residence hall director designates the large item donation area, but there are signs that indicate it, De Jesus said. PCFCS provides the bins and is in charge of collecting all donated items.

“We bring (the clothes and miscellaneous items) to the County Clothing Center, where everything is free,” said PCFCS spokeswoman Candy Pollard. “All the food goes to Kent Social Services for the Lord’s Pantry Program.”

This year 96 bins were placed around the halls, Pollard said.

“We’ve already started coming to empty the totes,” Pollard said. “But probably (May) 8 and 9, when the real move-out is, it’s going to be pretty intense for us. People will be donating their carpets and their futons; they’re going to be throwing out a lot of stuff.”

Last year, PCFCS collected 86,000 pounds of donations, Pollard said. The predominant donation was food.

“(Last year) I had food left over that was canned that I left,” Kayla Perry, sophomore integrated mathematics major, said. “(This year) I don’t know because I am running out in my meal plan, but if I have money left over that’s what I’ll use it for. It’s a good cause.”

De Jesus said to make students aware of the program, NRHH created a Facebook group and put up an advertisement on local television stations.

“I saw the bins in the hallway and I was wondering what it was, but at my closing floor meeting my RA told us,” Katie Wolf, freshman fashion merchandising major, said. “If I have extra food, I will definitely leave that.”

The program, which started about five years ago, began only in the Tri-Towers complex and eventually expanded to be campus-wide, De Jesus said. District Recycling, Campus Environment and Operations and Residence Services also cooperate in the organization of the program.

Students can make donations until Friday, May 9.

Contact features correspondent Regina Garcia Cano at [email protected].