In the spring of 2023, Sustainability Management partnered with various offices to host an end of the year donation drive. Boxes were placed in the Goldstein Student Center at the end of the semester on South Campus to collect food, clothing, bedding and household items. Donated food was taken to the South Campus food pantry, bedding was donated to Helping Hounds, and the remaining items were collected by a different organization each day.
Service-learning students from PHP 309 (Health Disparities and Underserved Populations), WRT 205, and WRT 307 (Professional Writing) participated. Students created sample Instagram posts directing student organizations toward the opportunity to coordinate an event with off campus partners. Sample emails were created by WRT 205 service-learning students to help organize the future semester’s collection work. A team of WRT 307 service-learning students designed a sample website for the project to showcase the potential for community engagement both on and off campus.
The spring 2023 pilot donation drive, now known as ‘Cuse Collections, stems from a previous collection hosted at SU called Ten Tons of Love. Students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to donate clothing, household items and food to benefit local charities. ‘Cuse Collections has essentially expanded the work of Ten Tons of Love by effectively and sustainably building relationships between on and off campus partners.
‘Cuse Collections was held again in the spring of 2024. Three storage containers were placed on North and South Campus to collect donations. The event lasted a week with a different organization collecting donations each day. Over 70 grays bins full of items were donated to local organizations and non profits.
The following organizations have received donations over the years.
- Rescue Mission
- Catholic Charities
- YWCA
- InterFaith Works
- Mary Nelson Youth Organization
- Huntington Family Center
- A Tiny Home for Good
- RISE
- Westside Family Resource Center
- Innovating Justice
- Boys & Girls Club
- Lydia’s Attic
- Spanish Action League – La Liga
- Salvation Army
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (D.E.I.A) Symposium
Sustainability Management and the Shaw Center worked together to create a poster presentation for the D.E.I.A Symposium in the fall of 2023. The poster (below) highlights the work completed during the 2023 spring semester and the plans for ‘Cuse Collection going forward.
