Page A4 - The University Star
NEWS
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Students ‘pack’ up unwanted goods, ‘pass’ them on to needy By Kathy Martinez The University Star The Texas State Community Relations Department and United Way of Hays County teamed up on May 25 to sponsor “Pack It Up and Pass It On,” an annual event intended to match unwanted items normally thrown away by students at the end of the semester with local needy families. “It is absolutely amazing what kind of stuff students decide to throw away. We have clothes with their price tags still on them,” said Holly Lazenby, community relations administrative assistant. At the end of the spring semester, collection barrels were placed in each residence hall and university apartment complexes.The community project was accomplished with the help of more than thirty volunteers picking up donation barrels. Students donated clothes, shoes, linens, kitchen items, carpets, small appliances, computers and electronics. Furniture items were also accepted. “Students are very limited in their ability to give back to the community because of school and work, so this is just a chance for us to create ties with the San Marcos residents,” said Laura Ruiz, education senior and volunteer. Last year, “Pack It Up and Pass It On,” was hosted outside the Aquarena Center, serving more than 1,000 local residents. This year, the event took place in the LBJ Ballroom. Lazenby said volunteers spent three days prior to the event organizing and setting up the items. “The event has grown and we had to move it to the ballroom to accommodate the increasing amount of donation items over the years,” Lazenby said. This is a perfect way for families and local youth to become familiar with the campus, Lazenby said. “Believe it or not, a lot of the people that walk through these doors have never stepped foot on campus and are getting their first glance at the university,” she said. “Hopefully in the future, we can use this event to encourage the youth here in San Marcos to
Aaron Smith/Star photo SORTING THROUGH: Hundreds of needy families from San Marcos shop for free in the LBJ Ballroom.
“I
t is absolutely amazing what kind of stuff students decide to throw away. We have clothes with their price tags still on them.”
— Holly Lazenby, community relations administrative assistant
consider attending Texas State in the future.” Bobby Carmichael, executive director for United Way of Hays County, was also on sight to help organize donation items. “I have been so pleased with the efforts of the university to make this event a success in helping hundreds of families in our community, and of course this could not be done without the students,” Carmichael said. Kim Porterfield, community relations director, said the event normally takes about two hours. “In the past four years of holding this event, everything is gone in the span of a couple hours and the only thing we have left to do is take the tables down,” Porterfield said. San Marcos residents Luisa Gallo and Randa Wagner took advantage of the free shopping day. Gallo heard about “Pack It Up and Pass It On” from flyers her children brought home from
school. Gallo said opportunities like this are appreciated by her family who are not as financially fortunate as others. In her second time attending the event, Wagner said she finds a lot of great things that she and her family can use, especially clothing for her teenage children. “It’s so hard these days. You just can’t afford to live anymore,” Wagner said. San Marcos resident and retired nurse, Donnelle Gooch, accompanied Gaberial Robertson and her family to the event. Gooch, also a member of the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, said she sponsored Robertson and her family after they relocated to San Marcos from New Orleans 10 months ago. Robertson said she came to San Marcos to seek refuge after losing everything in Hurricane Katrina, including her home. “I’m starting all over again and it is difficult, but I couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone in this community,” Robertson said. Robertson said she is thankful for the university and the students for donating clothes that her children can make good use of in the upcoming school year. “The beauty of this program is that this is the true basic form of recycling as you can get,” Porterfield said. “We are taking very useful and essential items that students no longer need or want and recycling them back into a community that does need them.”