Mickey Mouse cups, sci-fi novels, and fluffy sweaters — all items you can find at the student-run Free Store, which is now open on the first floor of Main Hall.
The project, created this semester by the Student Environmental Committee (SEC), allows students to donate or take items and is part of a broader push to enhance sustainability across campus.
“It’s not transactional, you can give and take, or you can just give, or you can just take, and there’s never any restrictions placed on students,” Donovan Wilcox `27, a SEC student leader, said.
The SEC, first created six years ago with the main goal of pushing the College to divest from fossil fuels, has introduced a range of projects in Grinnell College such as ITS disposal waste reduction, and plastic use awareness. Wilcox said these efforts are designed to create a culture of sustainability that students can see and engage with in their everyday lives.
The Free Store is their newest addition, offering students a convenient and eco-friendly way to exchange items.
“Donovan started the initiative, [they] thought it was a better idea to hold a perpetual store, so that people could bring in items at any time and then take items when the stores open,” Leo Goldman `27, another SEC student leader said.
“If anyone has anything, please donate it to us. If you’re cleaning out for storage, if you’re trying to go back home, and there’s stuff you’ve realized that you don’t want. Please, please bring it to us. We are glad to take it,” he said.
The Free Store is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
