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CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Great Move Out will be starting Monday, June 11 at Oregon State University, and organizers will accept donations of food, furniture, clothing, and other items from residents living on and off campus. This year, OSU has partnered with the Office of Student Life and a local church to host an on-campus and an off-campus donation drive. Last year, OSU collected nearly 36,000 pounds (18 tons) of items and hopes to increase that number this year.  

The Great Move Out allows students living on and off-campus to donate items they no longer need or cannot take with them while also diverting material that would otherwise go to the landfill. These discarded items will instead benefit local non-profits and other charity organizations. Items accepted for donation vary depending on location but can include: clothing, unopened and non-perishable food, toiletries, household items like décor or lamps, electronics (broken or otherwise), and furniture.

In the residence halls, donations may be put into donation bins which will be located on the ground floor. Food and toiletries must be bagged. Students can request bags from the front desk of their residence hall. Larger items that do not fit in hall lobbies, such as wood bed loft kits and furniture, may be set next to dumpsters outside.

Off-campus, a donation drop-off point will be located in the parking lot of the Grace Lutheran Church (on the corner of Kings Blvd. and Harrison) on Friday, June 15 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. A range of items will be accepted including mattresses, furniture, electronics, office/school supplies, books and  kitchen and household wares.

“We decided to rename the drive to The Great Move Out instead of the Res. Hall Move Out Donation Drive to reflect our off-campus partnership and encourage students living off-campus to donate,” said Shannon Ritz, student outreach assistant for Campus Recycling and Surplus Property. “Instead of it just being on campus, we want to encourage those living off-campus to take part. These drives make it easy for students to donate and divert materials that would otherwise go to the dump.”

Due to the high volume of donations that are anticipated, Campus Recycling and Surplus Property are seeking volunteers to assist with the on-campus drive by sorting incoming items or by going out with the crew to collect donated items and recyclables from the residence halls. Volunteers may sign up for shifts between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on June 11-19. Volunteer training will be provided on site.

The Great Move Out is a collaboration between OSU Campus Recycling, Surplus Property, University Housing and Dining Services, Office of Student Life, Republic Services, the city of Corvallis, and local nonprofits. Additional information on both drives as well as how to volunteer or donate items may be found at http://recycle.oregonstate.edu/recycling/events-and-opportunities/great-move-out.