Moving day frustration? Make a donation!

Each August, thousands of students move in and out of downtown apartments. In an effort to minimize the mess and maximize the benefit to the community, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a coalition of local partners, including the City of Madison, Goodwill Industries and St. Vincent de Paul, are working together on the Moving Days campaign to encourage students to donate usable items to local charities.

This year, local street musician Art Paul Schlosser lends his name and talents to the cause. He’s featured on the “Moving Days” poster and has written a song, “Moving Day Frustration,” to promote the event. He will play the song at Moving Days donation sites and at his regular street-performance location on State Street near State Street Brats. The song has also been released to local radio stations.

Goodwill Industries and St. Vincent de Paul (in conjunction with student volunteers from St. Paul’s University Catholic Center) will staff three truck sites in campus-area neighborhoods to collect donations from students who are moving out on and before Aug. 14. The groups seek donations of clean clothes, good quality furniture, unopened nonperishable food, and other household items in good condition. All ripped, wet, dirty, rusty, broken, stained or smelly items should be left for city pickup on the curb.

The following is a list of donation sites and times:

• Broom and Mifflin streets: Near Capitol Centre Foods, Goodwill truck. Aug. 11, 2-6 p.m.; Aug. 12 and 13, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Aug. 14, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Gorham and Henry streets: Behind Holy Redeemer Church, St. Vincent de Paul truck, Aug. 11-14, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Regent and Mills streets: Behind McDonald’s in UW Lot 51, St. Vincent de Paul truck, Aug. 11-14, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

St. Vincent de Paul donations enable the organization to provide furniture, clothing, food, and household items for low-income people. Money raised from store sales also helps with transitional housing operations, emergency shelter, and prescription drugs for low-income families. Students from the St. Paul’s University Catholic Center have organized and supported the St. Vincent de Paul donation sites during Moving Days for many years.

The sale of items donated to Goodwill Industries during Moving Days helps fund services that help people with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries find jobs. The TechWorks program helps people with disabilities enter the information technology world and Goodwill’s housing options allow senior citizens and individuals with mental illness, or on limited incomes, to live in safe, supervised, and affordable places of their own.

Moving Days is sponsored by the City of Madison, Goodwill Industries, St. Paul’s University Catholic Center, St. Vincent de Paul, and University Health Services at UW–Madison. Information on donations, trash disposal, and recycling can be found at the donation sites and at www.ci.madison.wi.us/streets/streets.html.