Written by Will Lewis

VSU Give & Go will meet Wednesday through Friday to make one man’s trash another man’s treasure.

The program, which will make its debut this year, is offering students the opportunity to donate their unused or reusable items. Give & Go will give the items to local residents in need.

“At move out there seems to be a lot of (what) students consider trash: clothes, canned goods, lamps, things like that–that when they are moving out of halls ends up in the dumpster and just overflows,” Brian Roberts, assistant director of student life, said. “A lot of it isn’t trash. It is stuff that can be reused and recycled.”

Give & Go is looking for items ranging from space heaters to televisions—anything that may be recycled into the hands of Valdosta’s needy.

“We want to foster a culture of compassion and environmentalism at VSU,” Dr. Tom Hochschild, assistant professor of sociology, said. “With so much need in south Georgia, our goal is to empower students to be agents for positive social change.”

Give & Go will be partnering with Second Harvest, a local charity, to distribute all donated items to the community.

“The average U.S. citizen creates five pounds of trash every day,” Dr. Hochschild said. “This type of consumption is not sustainable, and so we must change our habits.”

The event will be entirely volunteer-oriented and will be supported by S.A.V.E.

“It’s a shame that this stuff up, until now, was just being dumped in the trash,” Danielle Jordan, junior and president of S.A.V.E, said. “I have walked by the trash during move out, and I saw plenty of nice things that could be put to use. I think it is a shame nobody thought of it till now.”

The environmentalist group has already volunteered seven of its members, but more are needed to properly staff all four tents for the days of the events.

The tents will be located at various locations around campus, including Centennial Hall, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Any questions concerning the upcoming event and offers to volunteer should be directed to Dr. Hochschild at trhochschild@valdosta.edu, or contact Roberts at the Student Life office.