UMD is opening the doors of its first-ever Free Store this week for UMD students. It’s located in Heaney Service Center, 1315 Maplewood Court, and is designed to provide students with the goods that will enhance their living areas.
The Free Store will be open this Thursday, August 16 from 1 - 2:30 p.m., when UMD’s international graduate students are invited to shop. The undergraduate international students will visit on Saturday, August 18 from 1-2:30 p.m. The Free Store will be open for all UMD students during UMD’s Move In Day on Tuesday, August 21.
The Organic Impetus
The Free Store inventory includes things like area rugs, microwaves, mirrors, storage units, dishes, school supplies, fans and more– all donated by students moving off campus at the end of the 2017-18 school year.
The items were collected by Housing and Residence Life and the Office of Sustainability staff, who are collaborating with the International Student Services office to offer international students the first opportunity to visit the store. “It’s been a perfect match,” says Amanda Perrin, assistant director of Housing and Residence Life.
For Jonna Korpi, activities coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, keeping the donated items out of landfills is a huge incentive to open the Free Store. “It’s wonderful that our students’ donations are supporting other students, with the benefit of reusing and recycling.”
Bigger and Better
Perrin says her team was able to collect many items from the residents halls in the last two-and-a-half days of the 2017-18 school year, but she hopes to increase the Free Store inventory for the 2019-20 school year by including the campus apartments. “Collecting through the last week of school and opening this up for our apartments next year could prove to be quite the feat, but we’re up for the challenge.”
Nearly 3,000 students will be living on campus this year.