Student donations to worthy causes
Unwanted items and food handed in
LOUGHBOROUGH University has carried out the first ever Give ‘n’ Go scheme, to encourage students to donate their unwanted, but still valuable, items to charity, rather than put them in the general waste.
Nine donation drop-off points were made available around campus in June to accommodate students moving out for the summer.
An impressive amount was donated and diverted from general waste this year. Thirty volunteers and ambassadors helped, making a significant difference by engaging with students and parents, sorting donations and managing waste and recycling from the halls – including pulling out additional resources for charity.
Glennis Wilcox from Shepshed Food Bank received 29 crates of food from the scheme. She said: “These will go towards the food parcels we provide for 45 to 50 clients a week including families, single people and pensioners. We are an independent food bank, and although we run fundraising events, we are totally reliant on the goodwill of the public, so we are really grateful for this support.”
John Pagdin, from The Arches added: “Thank you for your generous contributions to The Arches Project. Your donation will help us to overcome poverty and exclusion in the lives of our service users and to build a sense of community and support around them. We are so grateful for these practical items and appreciate it hugely. Many thanks to you all at Loughborough University.”
The university’s environmental manager Nik Hunt said: “We have made real progress this year with the volume and types of donations we have been able to give to local and national charities, and it’s rewarding to hear about their impact. Our volunteers worked hard to gather the donations and should be praised for their efforts.
“But there is still more to be done to prevent good resources from going to waste, especially at this time of year. We will continue working across campus to raise awareness in order to divert even more items from landfill and reduce environmental impact.”
The scheme was organised by the university’s sustainability team – with support from campus services and LSU’s Environmental and Ethical Network supported by campus services and LSU’s Environmental and Ethical Network.