Students Donate Belongings at Bentley’s Give ’N Go Program
As the academic year draws to a close at universities and colleges across the country, a mass exodus of students leaving campus can produce a lot of congestion — and a lot of waste. But this month, as students moved out of Bentley’s Waltham campus, they had an alternative to squeezing unwanted items into a packed car or throwing away reusable belongings like clothing and nonperishable food: Bentley’s 10th annual Give ’N Go program. As students dropped off items to be swapped or donated at one of five Give ’N Go locations on campus, they found a more convenient — and sustainable — way to prepare for the trip home, and their items found a second life. 
Managed by the Office of Sustainability, Give ’N Go aims to reduce the volume of waste generated during Bentley’s spring semester move-out period. The program encourages residential students to donate nonperishable food, usable clothing, electronics, furniture and books as they move out of the residence halls instead of throwing these items away. It also includes a swap component to encourage students to reuse items donated by their peers. Items in good condition that are not swapped or claimed by other students are donated to nonprofits in the local community.
After donating some of her own clothing and furniture, Jordyn Garrett ’24 found a chair and coffee machine that she will use in her suite this fall.
“I see Give ’N Go as a truly grassroots way to give back to both the Bentley and Waltham communities because food items are donated to a local food bank to help those in need,” says Garrett, a Business Economics major and the former social justice coordinator in the Office of Sustainability. “I am interested in sustainability because I do not see a future in which we can continue to operate like we are currently: rapidly depleting our planet’s resources to make items that just end up in landfills while simultaneously destroying ecosystems. The consequences of damaging our planet can already be felt by BIPOC communities that are disproportionately adjacent to large polluters. I want to work to change our institutions and our systems to make a better future.”
Give ’N Go was launched in 2010 by a group of residential students who were concerned about the high amount of usable goods thrown out during spring move out. At this year’s event, nearly four tons of items were collected. Most donations went to Goodwill Northern New England (NNE), whose mission is to enable people with diverse challenges to achieve personal stability and to create engaged, sustainable communities. Additional items such as non-perishable food, toiletries and cleaning supplies were donated to Healthy Waltham, which works to alleviate health disparities and improve the health outcomes of the city’s most vulnerable residents. Longstanding partner Casella Waste Systems, Inc. helped to plan and coordinate the program.
“When students started this initiative, they wanted to create a program that supported both the Bentley community and the local community,” says Natalie Berland Hayes, associate director of sustainability at Bentley. “Give ’N Go aligns with Bentley’s sustainability goals for the next five years through reducing the total volume of wasted materials across campus while also benefiting the community.”
