With the school year coming to a close, Southern Oregon Goodwill and Southern Oregon University continue their long-standing partnership to ensure SOU students’ unwanted items don’t find their way to the landfill but rather are used to “do good” in the community.

Each year about this time, Southern Oregon Goodwill’s Operations team works with SOU’s Sustainability & Recycling program to coordinate the delivery of Goodwill’s Big Blue donation carts, where students can place their gently-used clothing, small electronics, housewares, and furniture. These items are then transported to a local Goodwill to be sold to savvy thrifters from around the region.

The sale of these items helps fund Goodwill’s GoodWorks program. GoodWorks provides paid on-the-job training and coaching supports for individuals with barriers to employment. It also provides jobs for more than 300 individuals throughout southern Oregon and northern California. “That is the story behind the store,” says Goodwill COO Dave Robison. “Not only do donations to Goodwill help fund our mission to enable employment, but donations also mean less impact to the local landfills and the environment. It’s a win-win, and we’re thrilled to partner with SOU each year to assist students vacating the dorms.”

“We, too, are really grateful for this partnership with Southern Oregon Goodwill,” says Becs Walker, SOU Sustainability & Recycling Manager. “Reducing waste and diverting as much as possible away from landfill through recycling is at the heart of our program since its inception in 2011,” she continues.

Last year donations from SOU students totaled more than 4,000 lbs., giving those no-longer-needed items a second chance.

Donation bins will be strategically located throughout the on-campus student housing from now until students move out on June 10 and 11. Students with questions should contact SOU Sustainability & Recycling Manager Becs Walker at 541-841-6796.

Story from Southern Oregon Goodwill Industries