Student Move-Out Program Gives Back to City
May 26, 2010 - News Release
University of Guelph students left a positive mark on the city through this year's Move-Out Madness program by donating thousands of furniture, clothing and food items to local charities before moving away for the summer.
The student-run program aims to take a socially responsible and environmentally friendly approach to the end-of-year move.
In partnership with the City of Guelph, U of G student volunteers diverted half of their waste from landfill by organizing bulk item pickups during the last few weeks of the semester.
“The University of Guelph staff and volunteers did a fantastic job co-ordinating and implementing this year's program, and, through much hard work and dedication, helped to keep Guelph's streets clean,” said Chris Fast, the city's waste-reduction and compliance co-ordinator. “The City of Guelph thanks you for all of your efforts.”
As part of the bulk item pickup, students collected almost 600 high-quality furniture items that were donated to the Habitat for Humanity Restore and 10 mattresses that were given to Wyndham House. Another 1,000 furniture items will be stored for the summer and offered to students returning next fall.
“The program was an amazing success this year thanks to the strength of our volunteers and the funds donated by student organizations to rent the extra trucks and bins needed for the increased number of pickups,” said Brad Williams, U of G manager of off-campus living. “We managed to reduce the tonnage of waste headed for the landfill by 50 per cent compared to last year by giving it back to the Guelph community and storing it for students to reuse next school year.”
In addition to the bulk item pickup, students organized the collection of clothing, household items such as kitchenware and non-perishable food items. Almost 200 bags of clothing, 13 cargo vans of household items and more than 3,000 pounds of food were donated to the Guelph Food Bank.
“Each year this program grows and is having an increasingly positive impact on our community and our environment,” said Williams. “It’s just an example of how our students care about the community they live in and want to give back.”
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, or l.hunt@exec.uoguelph.ca, or Deirdre Healey, Ext. 56982 or d.healey@exec.uoguelph.ca.
