Auburn’s Check-Out for Charity getting ready for spring move-out, volunteers sought

Auburn University students leaving the Plains after graduation will have the opportunity to donate household items to benefit the community during the 23rd annual Check-Out for Charity May 2-8. They will try to top last year’s total of 2,368 pounds of food and 1,055 cubic yards of household items.

The event is organized by Auburn University's Auxiliary Enterprises Property Management, which is seeking volunteers both from the campus and the community to help load trucks, especially on heavy move-out days, and other duties. Anyone interested in donating or volunteering should send an email to butleam@auburn.edu or visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/au.cofc.

The household items usually consist of everything from clothing and bedding to appliances, furniture and carpet, all of which are distributed to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and the Salvation Army of Lee County. All food donations will be made to the local Food Bank of East Alabama, a longtime partner with Check-Out for Charity.

David Maddox, director of Auxiliary Enterprises Property Management, started the program after he observed the vast amount of usable items that were being placed in the landfill.

"The program caught on early and has grown over the years, with much of the growth directly related to the increase in the number of students housed on campus and corresponding to an increasing student interest in sustainability,” Maddox said. “I enjoy and appreciate the fact that so many students are willing to voluntarily donate the items to our charity partners with the end result being a great benefit to people in our community who are less fortunate than many of us.”

Amy Mosley, coordinator of the program, has played a major role in making Check-Out for Charity successful over the last seven years. Last year, Mosley worked 10 or more hours a day with the help of Student Housing employees. Together this team filled two 26-foot box trucks, two 15-foot box trucks and several pickup trucks. The charity partners provided their own trucks and staff that made numerous trips to their stores on a daily basis.

"All of these partners have an array of social services that are diverse in serving the community,” Mosely said. “The Salvation Army provides multiple social services, such as Meals on Wheels to disaster relief, and so on. The Food Bank provides food to families who are in need and the ReStore who is connected with Habitat for Humanity that builds homes for families.”

Mosley also describes how rewarding it is to see the Auburn Family come together and make these donations.

“It is rewarding to know that the residents have an awareness of how beneficial their donations are to the community,” she said. “All three of the community service programs serve the Lee County area in multiple ways and it amazing to know the Auburn University family contributed.”