F&M Stories
Dips Donate Thousands of Items During Move-Out
As Franklin & Marshall College students departed campus after finals and Commencement, unwanted items never went to waste thanks to Dips Donate.
The campus initiative prevents waste by redistributing usable items instead of discarding them during move-out. In early May, student and staff volunteers collected and sorted more than 3,000 donated items, including books, cleaning supplies, clothing, decor, furniture, kitchenware, school supplies, small appliances, and unopened food and hygiene products.
“With final exams and a short turnaround for moving out, there is not always ample time for students to plan what to do with unwanted, but still usable, items. Dips Donate meets that need,” said Nic Auwaerter ’11, director of F&M’s Center for the Sustainable Environment.
Dips Donate is a collaborative effort between the Center for the Sustainable Environment and the Ware Institute for Civic Engagement.
Items are donated to local nonprofits, along with the F&M Career Closet, F&M library system, F&M Student Food Corner, and the College’s newly-launched Give and Take Room (GATR). Housed in the Center for the Sustainable Environment, the GATR is a free, student-run exchange space to donate or pick up items such as books, blankets, winter clothes, and dinnerware.
The following Lancaster nonprofits received donated items: CommunityAid, Habitat for Humanity, Lancaster County Food Hub, Lancaster Public Library, McCaskey High School, Tenfold, YWCA, and volunteers from various refugee resettlement initiatives.
Residents of the College’s three affiliated off-campus locations – College Row, College Hill, and James Street Housing properties – were also encouraged to participate in Dips Donate.
The college collected 40 full mailcarts from College Row apartments, while James Street Housing organized its own system for collecting donations.
While sustainable move-out practices have existed at F&M for years, Dips Donate has given a reinvigorated focus to reuse initiatives that benefit both students and the surrounding Lancaster community.
"It's incredibly meaningful for F&M students to give back through the Dips Donate program,” said Lucy Deren, assistant director of F&M’s Ware Institute for Civic Engagement. “Together, we're building stronger connections and making a positive impact in our local community."
Related Articles
September 2, 2026
‘I Find It Important and Necessary’: Uncovering Lancaster's Hidden History
For Frances Taylor ’27, the Lancaster Vice project checked all the right boxes: collaborating with a faculty mentor, exploring how their two majors converge in the real world, and unearthing stories the city had forgotten. “I enjoy learning about hidden history that popular culture often overlooks,” Taylor said.
August 24, 2026
F&M and Fulton Bank: Where Liberal Arts and Innovation Meet
For Moemen Ibrahim ’26, an assignment to reach out to a Franklin & Marshall College alumna on LinkedIn led to much more than a career conversation. It became the beginning of an internship and an introduction to the world of innovation at Fulton Bank — and has also led to a full-time job.
August 10, 2026
‘For the Love of People and Art’: F&M Student Interns at the Mount Gretna Art Show
Layla Beyer ’27 is getting a firsthand look at how communities unite through a shared love of the arts. Beyer, who studies history of art and architecture and theatre, is interning with the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show. “It is really inspiring to see this kind of work get done for the love of people and art,” she said.