Why I decided to鈥olunteer with the Donation Drive
Thousands of students move out of on-campus accommodation each year and it is not always possible for them to take all their belongings. The Donation Drive is a project run by the Energy & Sustainability Team, to rehome these unwanted items, to prevent waste and to promote reuse.
The team are always looking for volunteers to help sort and triage donations, weigh and record items, and make sure everything is organised and ready for charity collection and the Kitchen Kit Market.
Jo, Beth and Kate spared some of their time. Read about their experience and register your availability to support the collections in September.
鈥淚 volunteered to support Donation Drive to get more involved in sustainability on campus. It was really enjoyable to work alongside students and colleagues sorting through a huge amount of kitchenware and household items and helping each other as we went. We were faced with quite a big task, I was amazed how much came out of just three blocks! But with many hands at work, it wasn鈥檛 long before everything was sorted, including Christmas trees and enough washing-up liquid to fill a supermarket!
Donation Drive is a fantastic initiative. It鈥檚 really well organised by the Energy and Sustainability team (a big shout out to Fran Nibbs) who lead and guide you through the sorting session. It鈥檚 personally very satisfying knowing you have prevented as much as possible from going to waste and given things a new lease of life.
Items sorted will either go to charity or the KitchenKit market in Welcome Week, so the benefits are far-reaching and it鈥檚 nice to feel like you鈥檙e doing your bit for the planet.鈥�
Jo Ramsay, Project Officer, Student Opportunity
鈥淟ast year, the 果冻传媒 Sustainability Team redirected 9 tonnes of student-move-out-items from landfill to new students and local charities through the Donation Drive. That really stuck with me, how much waste could be turned to good. Plus, I love 鈥楽ort your Life Out鈥� on the TV, the chaos restored to order!
So, helping to sort student donations during the Donation Drive appealed to me. What I didn鈥檛 expect was how much fun and how many interesting people I would meet during my volunteer sessions. I helped collect donations, sort, wash up and do the laundry. I even got my Mum involved as a volunteer and we did 60 loads of washing to create new bedding-bundles to sell at the Student Kitchen Market.
I would thoroughly recommend volunteering with the friendly team to help future students, encourage sustainable living and have fun.鈥�
Beth Purdue, 果冻传媒 Innovations
鈥淎s someone who's passionate about environmental sustainability and doing my bit for the planet in my personal life, I'm always excited to see what projects the Sustainability team are working on. When they shared their call-out to volunteer at the Donation Drive, I thought this would be a great opportunity to support the wonderful work they do to.
It was surprisingly fun to sort through all the items donated by students. It gets almost meditative, moving from box to box, working out what needs to go where! It was also a lovely way to connect with other colleagues and chat to student volunteers. Volunteering with the Donation Drive got me out of my bubble and meeting new people, whilst doing good for our planet and for our campus.鈥�
Kate Laister-Smith, Events Co-ordinator, Strategy Group
Feel inspired and want to get involved? Register your availability to support the collections in September.