BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - It’s that time of year again. As Indiana University students finish final exams and papers this week, they’re also moving out of campus residence halls.
Which also means it’s time for Hoosier to Hoosier Community Sale organizers and volunteers to kick into high gear.
Hoosier to Hoosier is a program that diverts reusable items from the landfill as students move out. In an effort to prevent additional resource consumption, the wares are sold to the community to raise funds for local charities and organizations. Hoosier to Hoosier is a partnership between IU’s Office of Sustainability, the city of Bloomington and Monroe County Habitat for Humanity.
Organizers of the event, now in its fifth year, accept just about anything, from furniture to half-used bottles of shampoo.
They’ve gotten everything from a sombrero to a chicken costume, from a karaoke machine to a large jar full of change. They’ve even gotten a few unmentionables, unfit for print.
“We always find Social Security cards, passports, all sorts of things you’d think people would keep better track of,” Bloomington’s sustainability coordinator Jacqui Bauer told The Herald-Times (https://bit.ly/1sa0v5L ) this week. Such items get turned in to IU officials.
Hoosier to Hoosier does not take mattresses.
Donation collection areas are established at all campus residence halls. Those who live off campus can schedule donation pickups.
Are students being environmentally conscious when they give to Hoosier to Hoosier? Or are they simply trying to find the easiest way to get rid of unwanted belongings?
“It’s a combination of people who want to be environmentally friendly, and people who just don’t want to deal. So, I think there’s all kinds of motivations,” Bauer said.
The Bloomington and IU communities are notorious for having established a culture of hauling unwanted belongings to curbsides during moving seasons. “Hoosier to Hoosier is about changing that culture,” Bauer said. “I think it’s making a real impact.”
Organizers are looking for volunteers to help next week with sorting and moving items from the residence halls to The Warehouse, at 1525 S. Rogers St.
Volunteer opportunities extend well into the summer.
Go to https://sustain.indiana.edu/programs/hoosier-to-hoosier/index.php, email h2h@indiana.edu or call 812-349-3837 for more information on how to volunteer or to arrange for a donation pickup.
The community sale will take place on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 23-24, at The Warehouse.
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Information from: The Herald Times, https://www.heraldtimesonline.com
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