Spring cleaning

Alison Turner

Residence halls collecting food and clothing to donate to the needy in Portage County

One person’s trash is another’s treasure.

Smaller item donations, such as clothes, are now being collected in the residence halls, and larger bins will be available during finals week for large item donations.

The collected items go to Family and Community Services of Portage County Inc.

Donations accepted now include toiletries and non-perishable food items.

Large items include any household items, furniture, televisions and carpet.

The bins are available in Tri-Towers, Centennial Courts, Prentice Hall, Dunbar Hall and Twin Towers.

Joey Sammons, residence hall director of Koonce Hall, has been working with the program since its start last May.

“It worked well in Tri-Towers last year, so we added more halls this year. We’re hoping to go campus-wide within the first few years,” Sammons said.

The collection is sponsored by Residence Services, Portage County Solid Waste District, Portage Environmental Roundtable, Kent Interhall Council, Tri-Towers Hall Council, Students Eliminating Environmental Destruction, WKSR and the Kent State custodial staff.

Melissa Bukovinsky, senior finance major, helped start the program after she saw a similar program at Youngstown State University.

“It’s a win-win situation. The university doesn’t have as much trash, and it goes to people who need it,” Bukovinsky said.

The program is looking for volunteers. Anyone interested may contact Meaghan Sweney at [email protected].

Contact room and board reporter Alison Turner at [email protected].