Turning Move-Out Donations into Community Impact
Sustainability and helping the poor can go hand in hand. In partnership with the Faith & Ecological Justice Program at the School of Theology, BU Sustainability has collected over 2,000 pounds of textiles that will go to local homeless shelters and community organizations in Greater Boston.
This program is the brainchild of a Master of Theology and Social Work student, Maria Gorret Nampiima. Last year, Maria worked as a GOAT (Goodwill, Not Landfill Operations Assistance Team), and as part of her support during move-out, she recognized the vast amount of textiles, including bedding, pillows, towels, and blankets, that were discarded by her fellow students.
She recognized the numerous community organizations in our region that could benefit from these items to support families facing housing insecurity, all while diverting these materials away from the waste stream.
In fact, here in Massachusetts, it is illegal to put textiles in the trash – they have to be recycled or donated.
Since move-out, Maria, along with Katherine Reilly, a BU Sustainability intern, have been organizing and cleaning these textiles in preparation for donation. To expedite the cleaning and organizing process, Maria and Katherine are utilizing a laundry room at the Fenway Campus Residence Hall, which is typically not in use during the summer. Many of these donations will go to the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, which will support 60 indoor guests and 100 sets of blankets and pillows for visitors at the door. Additional materials will also go to the First Community United Methodist Church, the Wesley United Methodist Church, Seniors Bay Cove Human Services, Vanderburgh Sober Living, and housing for School of Theology students, many of whom require heavily subsidized housing while living in Boston.
In regards to why Maria has taken on this project, she said: “When I saw the sheer volume of textiles being discarded during move-out, I was shocked. It reminded me of my first move-out at BU – like many students, I didn’t know what to do with my extra belongings. Having participated as a GOAT in 2024 and seeing all that waste made me think: what if we could repurpose bedding and towels instead of just recycling them? I discussed this idea with the Faith and Ecological Justice team and later the idea was presented to BU Sustainability who were willing to support the process, and we were able to identify several local organizations eager to accept donations.”
Maria, Katherine, and others from the BU Sustainability team will continue organizing these materials for donation at BU’s Fenway Campus throughout this summer.