Students ‘Dump and Run’ Turns Student Castoffs into Treasure Stories You May Like ‘Waffle Stompers’ and Mini Fridges: What You Brought to the Hill Move-In ’24 in Photos: The Hill Welcomes Our Newest Cornellians Remember Arriving on Campus? Now, Move-In Is a Major Event Each fall, Cornellians flock to the annual sale to furnish their dorm rooms and apartments (and maybe snag a bike) Editor's note: Stay tuned for coverage of the other half of the event—when goods are collected as students move out—in spring 2025! By Melissa Newcomb In a storefront at the Shops at Ithaca Mall, Leah Becker ’27 sifts through racks of colorful sweaters, on display near an array of tank tops, baseball caps, and winter coats. In the next aisle over, there are boxes filled with water bottles and piles of pillows, bed sheets, and blankets. Meanwhile—in this and two of the mall’s other unoccupied retail spaces—fellow shoppers are perusing everything from books to bicycles, mirrors to mini fridges, shelves to silverware. Checking out the Big Red swag. Welcome to the Dump and Run sale—an annual event that offers (literal) tons of good-quality used items at a fraction of their retail price. “It’s awesome,” says Becker, an environmental engineering major. “I got all my dorm supplies here last year; this year, so far I’m getting an organizer drawer, a shower caddy, and lots of socks.” It’s awesome. I got all my dorm supplies here last year. Leah Becker ’27 Held each August, the sale—whose proceeds go to charity—is wildly popular with both college students and local residents, with lines stretching almost the length of the mall on some mornings. “This has been really helpful to me,” says first-year MBA student Pera Sihite, who initially came in looking for an electric blanket. “Anything I can get at Walmart or Target, I can get here at least 50% cheaper.” Perusing kitchen essentials. In addition to housewares, appliances, furniture, clothing, and sporting goods, Dump and Run offers personal care products like soap, shampoo, and nail polish—even unopened, nonperishable food. And as massive as the sale is at the beginning of fall semester, it’s actually just half of a two-part process. Its wares are donated each spring, when students deposit unwanted—or simply untransportable—belongings as they move out of dorms and apartments, diverting waste from landfills. Parents help with the haul. (Each year, Dump and Run acknowledges the source of its merchandise by reserving the first few days of the sale for college students before opening to the public.) “It’s such a nice way that Cornell and the community come together to have a solution to stopping all of this waste,” says Karen Brown, a senior director in Student & Campus Life, who has been helping to coordinate the event since its inception in 2003. “And groups benefit from it in such a positive way.” Stories You May Like ‘Waffle Stompers’ and Mini Fridges: What You Brought to the Hill Move-In ’24 in Photos: The Hill Welcomes Our Newest Cornellians It’s such a nice way that Cornell and the community come together to have a solution to stopping all of this waste. Karen Brown, Student & Campus Life Dump and Run was founded by Lauren Jacobs Benjamin ’05, a former psychology major who was inspired by the needless waste she saw as students left campus each spring. New clothes, still bearing their price tags, were thrown away by the armful; fans, fridges, and TVs were abandoned outside dorms. Scenes from Sales Past The line outside Helen Newman in 2016.Hauling away a treasure in 2015.Shopping for Big Red gear in 2014. Searching for bargains in 2013. She even saw overloaded passengers jamming belongings into trash cans at the Ithaca airport en route home for the summer. After hearing about other campuses that hosted Dump and Run-type events, Benjamin pitched the idea on the Hill, and got enthusiastic support. Founder Lauren Jacobs Benjamin ’05 even saw students jamming belongings into trash cans at the Ithaca airport en route home. That first spring, more than 10 tons of belongings were collected; the inaugural sale—held outdoors on North Campus—raised $9,300 despite rainy, muddy weather. Dump and Run has been held mainly indoors since then—initially at Helen Newman, until it outgrew the space (and its traffic, combined with that of Move-In, became unworkable). Stemware for a song. Now, there are more than 50 drop-off spots throughout campus, primarily in residence halls; volunteers then sort and price items over the summer. The sale, Brown says, has become an East Hill staple—and the largest event of its kind in the nation. Over the years, Dump and Run has raised more than $1 million. The 2024 proceeds—a whopping $91,000, garnered from 36 box trucks' worth of donated merchandise—went to Cops, Kids, and Toys, which distributes holidays gifts to families in need. “It helps people on both sides,” says Benjamin. “Students moving out have a place to put stuff, which can go to a good home. And on the flip side, furnishing a dorm room or apartment is expensive. This lets students find good stuff at an affordable price, and the money goes to a good cause. Everybody wins.” All images of the 2024 sale by Sreang Hok / Cornell University. Images of past sales by Cornell University photographers, including Jason Koski (2013) and Patrick Shanahan (2016). Published September 13, 2024 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Campus & Beyond From ‘Eco’ to Ujamaa, Program Houses Offer Community Alumni With Punk Reunions, Alums from the 1990s Rock On Campus & Beyond Birdcams Offer Up-Close Views of Avian Life