Plans Call for Building Upon Success of Donation Pilot Project


Female Clothing Donation Box

A pilot donation program organized by Facilities Management and Student Housing and Residential Life was so successful at the end of the spring semester that the collaboration is expected to continue.

The program involved setting up four plastic collapsible collection bins on the first floor of Cougar Village II at the beginning of May for students to donate items they no longer needed or wanted as they prepared to move out of the residence halls.

"As soon as the bins hit the floor, they began filling up," said Assistant Director of Facilities Management Michael Burriello. "As a result, we hope to expand the program and double our numbers next semester."

Donation Boxes

Burriello worked with Shannon Reed, residence life coordinator for Cougar Village II, to get the program started. It originally was planned to include Cougar Village II, but the charitable spirit quickly caught on at the other residence halls, as members from Cougar Village I, Moody Towers and Cougar Place decided to participate as well.

Items collected included 135 pairs of shoes and more than 2,200 articles of clothing, as well as a large amount of nonperishable food products.

PocketsHouston―a student-developed, non-profit organization―assisted with the collections, which benefited victims of a deadly tornado outbreak that struck the Arkansas towns of Mayflower and Vilonia on April 27.