June 14, 2011

Campus Project GIVE's Two-Day Sale of Items Donated by UCSB Students to be Held in Isla Vista

A two-day sale of items donated by UC Santa Barbara students will take place June 18-19, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the parking lot of UCSB's Embarcadero Hall at 935 Embarcadero del Norte in Isla Vista.

The sale is sponsored by GIVE, a campus project developed to encourage students to donate their unwanted items rather than discard them, according to Catherine Boyer, acting director of student affairs grants and development. Admission is free and open to the public.

When students move out of apartments and homes in Isla Vista, and from residence halls on campus, the GIVE staff and volunteers receive a variety of donations, including clothing, books, furniture, household goods, electronics, bicycles, and other miscellaneous items. Those items are then sold by GIVE to benefit Isla Vista nonprofit organizations and community projects.

Marking its 21st year of accepting donations during student move-out in June, GIVE is one of the first community projects of its kind in the country. "UCSB students are aware of the social and environmental implications of just throwing away their stuff when they move out of their Isla Vista apartments and campus residence halls," Boyer said. "Students want to be ‘green' and contribute zero waste, and they want to give back to their local community. Even in the haste of cleaning and moving out as soon as final exams are over, students recognize that what they no longer need or want can be used by someone else."

Sara Vandenbelt, GIVE's volunteer coordinator and a UCSB graduate, said: "I heard about GIVE when I lived in the residence hall during my first year at UCSB. I donated my mini-refrigerator. I'm so happy to work on a project that improves the community in so many ways."

In 2010, more than $27,000 was made from the sale and distributed locally. This year, beneficiaries include Isla Vista Elementary School's Science Camp Scholarship Fund and Latino Parent Night, Isla Vista Park and Recreation District's Adopt-a-Block and children's recreation programs, Isla Vista Teen Center, Isla Vista Youth Projects, the Optimist Club at UCSB and the Breakfast Optimist Club of Goleta, and Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara/Isla Vista. Among other beneficiaries are St. Brigid Fellowship, St. Michael's University Church, the Santa Barbara Student Housing Co-Op, Olive Tree Initiative, and the Associated Students Food Bank.

Items not sold will be donated to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a charity serving people in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties.

Major sponsors of GIVE include the Isla Vista/UCSB Liaison Office, the Isla Vista Tenants Union, Associated Students Community Affairs Board, Associated Students Isla Vista Community Relations Committee, UCSB Housing and Residential Services, and the Energy and Environmental Office. Additional support is provided by Associated Students Recycling, MarBorg Industries, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the UCSB Community Housing Office, the UCSB Office of Student Life, UCSB Parking Services, UCSB Physical Facilities, and UCSB and community volunteers.

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