SWAP is getting ready for Share Our Stuff, its end-of-semester donation initiative, and is looking for volunteers! Partnering with WashU ResLife, the Office of Sustainability, and WashU Facilities, SWAP is mobilizing a campus-wide (and off-campus WashU owned) collection for anything usable that would otherwise be thrown out.
How it works:
- Donation bins will be placed in every ResLife-owned building, allowing a convenient and accessible donation process to all WashU residents.
- Off-campus ResLife residents will also have the opportunity to donate with targeted collection events. More details soon.
- All donations in usable condition will be considered!
Why SOS?
Every year, Share Our Stuff is a great opportunity for students to change the way we consume products. So much reusable material ends up in landfills every day, and even the smallest donation contributes to the movement against the linear consumption model currently occupied by today’s society. Instead of disposing products into a landfill never to be used again, SWAP reclaims and reallocates these products to people in need. Participants can make a sustainable and charitable impact in the St. Louis community at a very easy cost.
Where do the donations go?
Most of the donations we receive are donated again to various organizations in the St. Louis area, including GoodWill, Operation Food Search, Campus Y, St. Jude Children’s research hospital, and more. A fraction of the donations will stay with SWAP to be placed at the Trading Post or sold during the traditional Sale on the Swamp, the annual move-in sale, in the following Fall.
Get involved!
To those staying in St. Louis any day between May 6 and May 20: volunteer for this event! Volunteers will receive a t-shirt, lunch/snacks provided every day, and a generous gift card for every 3 hour shift. A small fraction of your time will get you involved with the WashU community, St. Louis community, and make sizeable sustainable impact on the WashU campus. In addition, volunteering for this event is a great way to get involved with SWAP and learn more about the organization. We already have about 10 eager volunteers, and we can’t wait to work with them to make this event happen. Fill out this Google form to sign up if you can volunteer!
And if you can’t volunteer, no worries – you can still donate! Check out this facebook event for more information about when and where to donate as move-out gets closer.