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Worthmore

Several students perusing the offerings at the Worthmore Free Store.

Several students perusing the offerings at the Worthmore Free Store.

Worthmore Free Store

The Worthmore Free Store provides access to room furnishings and other supplies for students who may otherwise face cost or transport barriers in obtaining such items. Complementing this social mission, Worthmore aims to reduce waste by fostering a culture of reuse and preventing unnecessary purchases. As a "free" store where all items cost $0, Worthmore offers an alternative economic practice that challenges students to think creatively about reducing waste and resources sharing. It is located in the basement of Willets Hall. 

Open hours are hosted by Worthmore's Green Advisors during the academic year. This years hours will be Wednesday, 7 -9 pm and Sundays, 3 -5 pm. 

Please see our FAQs below for up-to-date information for each semester. 

  •  Worthmore is located in the basement of Willets Hall . You will need to knock on the door of Worthmore to be let in by a Green Advisor.  

Worthmore Move-Out Program

Students leave a lot of stuff behind when they move out of residence halls at the end of the academic year. In 2023 for example, Worthmore move-out workers collected over thousands of hangers, 110 lamps, 100 trash cans, 60 mirrors, and hundreds of school supplies.  In order to prevent these items from being thrown in dumpsters (and incinerated at the Covanta incinerator in nearby Chester, PA), Green Advisors and Worthmore student workers collect donated items from designated residential hall lounges across campus.

Donations are then sorted into two categories. Items that are frequently needed by students (e.g. hampers, hangers, lamps) will be brought to the Worthmore Free Store. Other items will be donated to charities through our off-campus hauler, GreenDrop.

Your efforts to transport and sort your own items in residence hall lounges show respect for the time, effort, and safety of our EVS and OOS staff, Worthmore student workers, and GAs. Click here to learn more about the donation drop-off locations.

Worthmore FAQs

Please take a look through our FAQs and Worthmore sub-pages for more detailed information, especially about the move-out program.

When is the Worthmore Free Store open & where is it located?

Weekly open hours are hosted by Green Advisors. Worthmore is located in the Willets Hall basement and is accessible through the LL entry. Worthmore is closed over the summer but will reopen in the fall.

What can I find at the Worthmore Free Store? 

You will most likely be able to find the following items at the free store :

  • Binders, folders, notebooks, blank, lined, and colored paper, regular and colored pencils, markers, pens, sticky notes, index cards, scissors, pencil bags, staplers, staples, hole punches, push pins, organizers (metal and plastic), whiteboards, cups, glasses, plates, bowls, water bottles, utensils, Tupperware, bags, hangers, shower caddies, hanging storage racks, vases, and so many decorations like lights, posters, and trinkets.

You may be able to find the following items at the free store :

Fans, lamps, waste bins, mirrors (large and cosmetic), rugs, furniture, storage containers (small and large) cooking utensils, platters and mixing bowls, pots and pans, water filters, other electrical appliances, mops, brooms, and dustpans, bed pillows, arts and craft supplies, yoga mats, sports equipment, games, laundry baskets and hampers, air humidifiers. 

You will not be able to find the following items at the free store:

  • Large furniture, pillows, sheets, and blankets, clothing, hygrine items, food. If you're in need of some of these items please contact the Director of FLI, Dean Karen Henry or the Director of the Intercultural Center, Jennifer Marks Gold. 

 

How do donations in residence hall lounges work during spring move-out?

Typically, at the end of every spring semester, we open up extensive donation opportunities in residence halls during our move-out program. Students are asked to bring all re-usable items to designated lounges, typically on the bottom floor of each residence hall, and sort items into pre-marked areas that are set up during finals. 

We need everyone’s participation to take responsibility for your communal spaces.

  • Do not remove tape or move lounge furniture back into taped areas. This will negatively impact the EVS and OOS staff, and student workers in your building.
  • If it’s really trash, do not donate it!
  • ALWAYS fold cardboard boxes before recycling and place by recycling bins or take outside to recycling toters. 

Please see more detailed information in our sub-pages about residence hall donation sites, how the lounges will be set-up, and what you can and cannot donate.

When/how can I donate to Worthmore?

During the academic year, specific items can be brought directly to the Free Store in Willets. We are no longer collecting food donations, mini-fridges, or large furniture. Please reach out to GreenDrop to donate ​​​​​​these items.

During spring finals ONLY, we set up special donation sites in residence hall lounges in order to manage the extremely high volume of donations that we typically receive during move-out. We are no longer collecting food donations, mini-fridges, or large furniture items. Residence hall donation sites are set up in end of April or early May and are typically open for several weeks. We can't be exact with the days because both setting up and breaking down the sites takes the Worthmore team a few days on each end.
 

What can I donate to Worthmore?

When deciding whether an item can be donated, be practical and respectful! Do not donate items that are unhygienic, contain any personal identification, or are against College policy (e.g., candles).

During move-out, please place all donated items in bins in the correct designated area. For example, clothing and shoes goes in the large, GreenDrop cardboard box. Learn more here about which items will and will not be accepted as donations during move-out. 

What is the history of Worthmore?

Worthmore began with the move-out of Spring 2017, replacing the Trash2Treasure summer sale that operated from 2007 to 2015. Due to a combination of factors, we decided to discontinue Trash2Treasure and to consider alternative means to make use of the items students leave behind. Because the sale took place over the summer, Trash2Treasure was formerly inaccessible to most Swarthmore students despite selling items that students really need. By saving items for the Free Store, we hope to help the needs of incoming and returning students. Furthermore, the previous model for the sale required hundreds of volunteer hours on the part of staff and significant funding to pay student workers. By using any lounge as a collection point (instead of our now more limited designated areas), the previous system left EVS staff with the burden of transporting, sorting, and separating donations from trash.

Who is involved in managing Worthmore?

Worthmore Free Store is primarily run by the Worthmore Coordinators, with ongoing support from​ the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Services. The Worthmore Move-Out process is managed by Green Advisors, Worthmore student workers, the Office of Sustainability, and Environmental Services. 

Key contacts are:

Clare Hyre, Associate Director of Sustainability 
chyre1@swarthmore.edu

Chip Proctor, EVS Manager of Administration
cprocto1@swarthmore.edu 
610-957-6490