Mercy Students Donate 5,000 Pounds of Goods to Goodwill

Alexander Colón, Residence Hall director of Founders’ Hall, hates to see anything go to waste. After reaching out to Goodwill Industries in the hopes of creating a partnership, he learned that many students of Mercy College feel the same way.

On May 2, Colón received eight collection bins from Goodwill — two weeks before the end of the spring semester — for Hudson Hall and Founders’ Hall respectively. By May 11, when Goodwill returned for the bins, residential students had donated more than 5,000 pounds of goods for charity including clothing, accessories, luggage, backpacks, school supplies, books, shelves, chairs and storage bins.

Colón’s initiative was the result of his experience in Residential Life, having learned over time that the end of the year yields a substantial amount of garbage in the rush to vacate residence halls and most of what’s thrown away is reusable or even brand new. After witnessing firsthand the extent to which the College shares his passion for renewability, he expressed that he was both pleased with the results and optimistic that he and Mercy students will continue to answer the call.

“I was very excited and proud of the outcome and hope to continue engaging our students in service opportunities like this annually,” said Colón.