Pay it Forward on Your Way Out
With the school year coming to an end, there is a good chance that you will be moving soon. While this process may be stressful and tedious for you, it can be something particularly helpful for someone else. All I can say is “donate, don’t dispose”.
I think donating is incredibly important. Not only does it help declutter your space and make for less work on your end, but it also helps out the community. Donating also keeps items out of the landfill and gives them a second chance at life by allowing for anyone to purchase them at a discounted cost. This is especially useful in the winter months when heavy clothing is in high demand. If someone else could get more use out of my items, why wouldn’t I give it to them? Make sure to spread the word to others, so they can be convinced to donate to the cause as well.
Personally, I have collected a variety of items that I really have no need for. This includes anything from clothing to furniture to food. I am anxious just thinking about how much time it is going to take for me to pack everything up and move it back home. Luckily, I found out that NDSU can help me get rid of some of these items by giving them to someone who will actually use them.
In the coming days there will be donation trucks outside of the Reed/Johnson residence hall on Albrecht & 15th Avenue, in the FA parking lot by MLLC, and in the parking lot for Niskanen Hall. If you do not want to carry all of your things to those locations, there will be donation boxes in the low-rise residence halls as well. The advertisements I have seen said that they will take gently used items such as clothes, shoes, purses, linens, towels, fans, housewares, blankets, sporting goods, and more.
When it comes to food, you can donate unopened non-perishable items in the designated boxes outside of the hall offices in your building. They will be donated back to the NDSU Goods for the Herd Food Pantry. I love that it is going right back to the college community. If you have stockpiled items from the dining centers, they also have boxes to drop them off near the hall offices.
Take the extra time this year to make a difference in the life of another. Keep in mind that what goes around, comes around. If you ever find yourself in need of some extra help, know that there are resources at NDSU that can be of assistance. Goods for the Herd food pantry is located in the Memorial Union, in the basement of the bookstore. If you self-identify as food insecure and are a student or NDSU member, you can be eligible to use the pantry. The intake and user agreement forms can be found online. If you need something quicker, you can go to the “Little Free Pantry” across from the Herd Shop in the Union.