Goodwill receives donations from GCU students during move out

PHOENIX - Grand Canyon University students are getting ready for the school year to end, which means moving out of their housing, too.

Goodwill is finding new ways to use the items students no longer want.

"We’ve been doing this for six or seven years, and so Goodwill partners with GCU for their student move-out. Students are moving out, they’re loading up their car, and they have things that maybe they don’t want to take back or don’t fit. Goodwill is here on site. We’ve partnered to host a donation drive," said Lea Graham, Goodwill spokesperson.

Goodwill hopes to fill the giant bins it brings along.

"As you’re bringing stuff and stuffing them in the cart, we’ve got the bins right here for Goodwill. Those things you don’t need anymore or don’t want to bring back or maybe are moving back across the country, we make it as easy as possible to make sure things are going back to help support our community," Graham said.

The move-out process is a big task for GCU, but it's done efficiently.

"We have over 15,000 students on campus, and we’re moving them out in four days, about 4,000 to 5000 students per day," said Steven Owens, event coordinator with GCU.

With that many students hauling items out, there's an array of donated items.

"Chipotle signs, scooters, there's sometimes mini-fridges, couches, things that are in good condition that students just can’t take with them," Owens said.

Goodwill partners with other schools and universities as well, but GCU is the biggest donation site of the bunch.

"Donations are either sold in stores or they're sustainably recycled and all of that is helping support our mission at Goodwill career development, education, and training programs throughout the communities," Graham said. "GCU students are part of all of that."