History

Trash2Treasure was first introduced to Northeastern’s campus as Dump and Run in the fall of 2008. Dan Abrams from the Husky Energy Action Team (HEAT) created a committee to get it off the ground. After many months of hard work and planning, the event seemed possible after being rewarded a grant from the Center for Community Service to help with start-up costs. Door to Door generously donated their services to store items after collection during spring move out week.

The first sale took place in the Indoor Quad of Curry Student Center. Facts about our first sale:

  1. We made over $3,000 total, the first $1,500 of which was made in the first hour.

  2. Immediately after collection we donated 150 pounds of food to Trinity Church in Copley Square in downtown Boston, followed by more food after the sale.

  3. We donated 10 bags of clothes to a church in Boston prior to the sale and had five bins more to donate afterwords.

  4. We donated $3,000 to Alternatives for Community and Environment, an environmental justice organization in Boston working to alleviate unfair environmental burdens felt by low income communities and communities of color.

  5. We planned to donate extra dorm/kitchen furnishings to Cambridge Furniture Bank, which helps people in Boston transition away from homelessness, but we had nothing left to donate!

  6. The remainder of the money we made was used for the 2nd annual sale.

Since the first sale, we have continued to grow our Collection and Sale events and further our goal of reducing waste on campus.