For the past eight years Southeast Missouri State University's Office of Residence Life has worked with the Community Caring Council to hold an event that allows students, faculty, and staff to donate unwanted items at the end of the academic year. This program is know as Don't Dump, Donate.

Don't Dump, Donate was first started by Carrie Waller, a former hall director, and there was only one central location for donations.

"We bring in these giant dumpsters for move out and ever since we've started this program, we actually need fewer of those dumpsters. So much is being donated that actually use fewer dumpsters," Delaney Vampran-Foster, the co-chair for Don't Dump, Donate this year, said.

Don't Dump, Donate has helped many people throughout the years, especially in the local community. The yard sale on May 22 and May 23 at the Red Star Baptist Church allows people and students in the area get great items for low prices while the Community Caring Council works together with nationwide charities. The money from the garage sale goes toward supporting the Community Caring Council.

"Sometimes the Community Caring Council works with the Red Cross and also the Salvation Army. So if they have a particular need for some items, I know in the past the Salvation Army has needed shoes, so the Salvation Army would work with them to get shoes or some particular item that they needed," Vampran-Foster said.

Students should know that local charities are also benefiting from their donations.

"They have a lot of great connections with agencies in the community, even the United Way, to really reach out to those that need it most," Miller said.

Students will find the boxes for storing their donation items near the front desk of their residence hall. Towers will have a table set up in the main area for students to donate their items.

"Big or small, we accept it all. Right now in storage, waiting to be donated, I have a set of crutches," Miller said.

Every item can be used by someone in the community and the Community Caring Council makes sure it gets to those people by donating certain items to local and national charities.

"Someone donated a bunch of luggage last year and they were really excited about the luggage because they're able to give that to kids in foster homes who don't necessarily own luggage and have to put their belongings in trash bags," Vampran-Foster said.

The Salvation Army is always looking for cleaning products and shoes to give out to the homeless and families on hard times. These are some of the most commonly donated items, but Miller and Vampran-Foster encourage students to give as many of these items as they can regardless.

"Clothing is probably the biggest money maker for the garage sale," Vampran-Foster said.

Don't Dump, Donate also accepts furniture of all kinds for the garage sale, but students are encouraged to donate more pressing items such as cleaning products and shoes.

Don't Dump, Donate will begin May 8 for all residence halls except for Towers.

"We're actually getting a 17-foot U-haul because we had so many donations last year that we maxed out our space. So for all the other halls it will be here starting on Thursday, May 8, and for Towers it will start on Tuesday, May 13," Vampran-Foste said.