As students begin their spring vacation and eventually leave for the summer, 91ֿ’s Throw-N-Go program provides a way for students to get rid of unwanted items while staying green and helping Portage county families. Throw-N-Go, which started about 10 years ago, is a program in which collection bins are set inside of residence halls and academic buildings for students to donate items they do not want to Portage Family and Community Services. “Instead of contributing to the landfill and waste, we are encouraging the reuse of these items that would normally be thrown out and it all goes to people who truly need them” says Matthew Musgrave, Black Squirrel Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary advisor and Throw-n-Go coordinator. Musgrave says the goal this year is to collect 100,000 pounds of donated items, as opposed to the 97,800 pounds collected last year. Representatives from the Portage County Clothing Center wheel in bins to colect donations for families in the community. Throw-N-Go collection bins are placed during spring break, and the program begins the week when students return to the halls. It continues until a week after finals week. Three collection bins are set outside of residence halls, the Music and Speech building, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and campus markets. The three collection bins are labeled: non-perishable food, clothing and miscellaneous items. In the miscellaneous item bin, a variety of items can be donated including lamps, irons, bedding and more. There is also a space designated in each hall for items too large to fit in bins, like futons and rugs. The collection bins are donated by Portage County Recycling, which will be donating 125 bins this year. Once the collection bins are full, Family and Community Services Inc. picks up the items and donates the items to needy families, and the non-perishable food to Kent Social Services and the Center of Hope in Ravenna. “We want to raise awareness that there are families in need in the Portage area,” Musgrave says. “When we think of people in poverty with no money for basic needs, such as food or clothes, we usually think of people in large cities, but to me, it actually hits very close to home.” Program Manager of the County Clothing Center Candy Pollard says the Throw-N-Go program is a great source for them to increase donations to the people who are struggling to afford these items on their own. “Throw-N-Go is great for all of our clients because they really can get great use out of these items.” says Pollard. The program is a joint effort between the 91ֿ Sustainability Office, Family and Community Services Inc., Portage County Recycling and the Black Squirrel Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary.
Posted March 19, 2012 | Sasha Chincar