Local

Final week of college a boon for charities

By Mark Price

msprice@charlotteobserver.com
Art Stephan from Long Island, NY, helps his daughter, Katie Stephan carry a table to the Goodwill truck, on Monday, May 18, 2015. For the last nine years, "Ditch and Dash" has been an end of the school year feature for Davidson students and campus staff, said Director of Building Services, Barbara Benson. Davidson students with the help of family and friends get rid of some of their dorm room items such as: sofas, mattresses,refrigerators, clothes, chairs or anything that they don't have room for, as they travel back home after graduation or just summer break. Non-profit agencies like Goodwill and Crisis Assistance Ministry come to the campus and collect items in fair to excellent condition to be later sold in their stores.
Art Stephan from Long Island, NY, helps his daughter, Katie Stephan carry a table to the Goodwill truck, on Monday, May 18, 2015. For the last nine years, "Ditch and Dash" has been an end of the school year feature for Davidson students and campus staff, said Director of Building Services, Barbara Benson. Davidson students with the help of family and friends get rid of some of their dorm room items such as: sofas, mattresses,refrigerators, clothes, chairs or anything that they don't have room for, as they travel back home after graduation or just summer break. Non-profit agencies like Goodwill and Crisis Assistance Ministry come to the campus and collect items in fair to excellent condition to be later sold in their stores. T. Ortega Gaines ogaines@charlotteobserver.com

No one appreciates the college graduation season as much as Goodwill or the Salvation Army.

That’s because this time of year is a boon for charities in the thrift store business, because of the annual mass exodus of students and graduates from dorms. Hundreds of rooms are being vacated and, in many cases, students and graduates are leaving behind whatever they can’t carry or can’t afford to ship home.

TVs, furniture, computers, clothes, small appliances and countless futons.

As a result, schools such as Davidson College, Queens University of Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University and Johnson & Wales have put in place partnerships with Goodwill, the Salvation Army and the Crisis Assistance Free Store to get the seasonal mountains of stuff hauled away.

On Monday, trucks from Goodwill and Crisis Assistance visited Davidson College to pick up piles left behind after graduation Sunday. The school hosts a program called Ditch & Dash, which allows students to drop off donations on their way home for the summer.

Most colleges, including Davidson, have policies that fine students who don’t remove everything from their dorm rooms.

“People used to leave stuff in the dorms, stairwells, dorm lounges, and it was a huge mess,” said Davidson College student C. Cater Corley, who is is helping coordinate Ditch & Dash.

“It’s hard for people to take everything home when they live in geographically diverse areas and have to fly. It costs a lot to ship stuff or rent storage lockers.”

Goodwill says the period following college gradations is the second busiest of the year for nonprofits, followed by the final week of December when people try to get in donations in time for tax deductions.

Items donated this week will begin appearing in Goodwill stores by the end of the week. In the case of the Crisis Assistance Ministry Free Store, items will be given to formerly homeless families at no charge.

Price: 704-358-5245

This story was originally published May 18, 2015 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Final week of college a boon for charities."

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