USAgain delivered textile recycling bins to Housing Services as the department collected unwanted clothes, shoes and more at the end of the winter quarter. (Image courtesy of Latoya Clark)
As Blue Demons continue to support the community in various ways amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Housing is no exception. As the department worked to help 2,650 students move out of campus housing at the end of the winter quarter, the team collected unwanted clothing, toiletries and storage containers to donate to USAgain, a textile recycling company.“We asked residents to donate non-perishable food and toiletries," says Latoya Clark, the facilities project coordinator for the department. “While we received a number of those items, we also received a lot of items we didn't ask for, like clothes, shoes and storage containers. Instead of throwing those items away, we thought to contact USAgain, who we work with after DePaul's annual end-of-year SWAP."
Within a week, the Housing Services team filled four recycling bins with donated clothes and other textiles for the organization.
“It's a stressful time for us all, but I'm thankful we were able to work with USAgain to get these items recycled instead of into a landfill," Clark says.
In addition to the Department of Housing, a number of other campus departments and individuals continue to donate products and support the community. The Departments of Environmental Science and Studies, Biological Sciences, and Chemistry and Biochemistry have donated 12,000 pairs of gloves, 50 lab coats, goggles and isopropyl alcohol to Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee.
Faculty and staff from the School of Nursing donated more than 3,000 pairs of gloves, as well as hundreds of gowns, face masks and face shields to local hospitals. From its site at Rosalind Franklin University site, the School of Nursing donated an additional six boxes of N95s, four boxes of face masks and shields, and two boxes of gowns. The Theatre School also has donated face masks from its scene and prop shop.