Penn Moves in to help the needy

June 4, 2008 (WPVI) -- In the past, the goods tossed out of Penn dormitories at the end of the school year have been free for the picking, but this year is different!

"This is the first time we've decided to bring all efforts together under one roof," Barbara Lea-Kruger of University of Pennsylvania said.

That one roof is Penn's Class of 1923 Ice Arena.

It is amazing all the items discarded by students.

There are pillows, lamps, rugs, dishes, pots, ironing boards, canned foods, and even bikes and crutches

The effort has been dubbed Penn Moves and today was a day of organizing and sorting for Penn staff and volunteers.

Tomorrow they'll begin distributing these items to about two-dozen organizations for the needy, including homeless shelters and food banks.

The University's Classroom of Technology donated 22 television sets, but students also left TVs behind, along with microwaves, DVD players, and refrigerators.

Today, a Penn staff member did arrange for members of Addicts in Recovery to select clothes from the mounds and mounds of clothing Penn students discarded.

University officials say despite efforts in the past to salvage useful items, too, much was being lost to landfills.

If you know of a needy organization that might be able to use clothes or other goods,
click this link: Penn Moves

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local/state, lisa thomas-laury

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