As the school year wrapped up, area college students were donating items to Goodwill without leaving campus, or even their residence halls!
For the sixth consecutive year, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina partnered with thirteen colleges, universities and secondary boarding schools to place donation bins in residence halls while students were moving out for the summer. This year’s “Ditch ‘n Dash” program collected 70,450 pounds of donated items which will be sold in Goodwill’s 43 retail stores and outlets throughout northwest North Carolina. Proceeds from those sales will help fund Goodwill’s job training and workforce development programs.
“We estimate that the sale of student donations will fund employment and training services for more than 2,400 people,” said Dana Conte, Goodwill’s manager of Donation Services.
Schools participating in the 2016 Ditch ‘n Dash were: The Asheville School, Brevard College, Catawba College, Christ School, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Montreat College, Salem College, UNC-Asheville, UNC School of the Arts, Wake Forest University, Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University.
“On behalf of the thousands of people in northwest North Carolina who are going to benefit from these donations, Goodwill would like to thank all of the students for their generosity,” said Mr. Conte.
For more information on Ditch ‘n Dash or other community donation drives, contact Dana Conte at 336-831-4171.