Patriot Packout returns from April 15 – May 10 to support a sustainable move-out!
Patriot Packout (PPO), George Mason University’s annual end-of-the-year donation initiative, is back from April 15 – May 10 at the Fairfax, Science and Technology, and Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation campuses.
PPO collects new, like-new, and gently used donations during move-out. Donated items are redirected away from the trash and placed into the hands of Mason students, faculty, staff, and community members who need them for free. 82% of all PPO 2023 donations were redistributed for free to individual Mason Patriots and Mason’s on-campus resources.
PPO 2024 will accept donations of clothing and shoes, non-perishable food and hygiene supplies, books and textbooks, art supplies, school/testing supplies, bikes, scooters, skateboards, small appliances, electronics, small furniture, and household goods.
In partnership with Housing and Residence Life (HRL), PPO 2024 will feature 10 residence hall lobby drop-off donation locations and 7 outdoor drop-off locations in centralized areas near residence halls at the Fairfax Campus. At the Science and Technology Campus, donations will be collected at an outdoor drop-off tent in the Beacon Hall Parking Lot in collaboration with Parking and Transportation, HRL, and University Life at SciTech. Donations at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation will be collected in the lobby of the G.T. Halpin Family Living and Learning Community residence hall in collaboration with HRL and SMSC Facilities staff members.
PPO’s primary goal is to support the basic needs of Mason Patriots. PPO 2024 donations will be redistributed directly to Mason students, faculty, and staff for free. On-campus resources that support Mason Patriots’ basic needs, like the Patriot Pantry, Trans Clothing Closet, First-Gen+ Center, and many others, will also receive donations from PPO. Any remaining donations will be freely redistributed to local community resources that support folks’ basic needs.
All PPO 2024 donations will be collected and transported for temporary storage to the Gillespie Gallery of Art, a space generously provided by the Mason Exhibitions. The Gallery will serve as PPO’s hub during the summer when donated items are redistributed to Mason Patriots and on-campus resources. PPO will transform the Gallery into a ‘free store’ this June, and host special events for Mason Patriots to ‘shop’ the store and select any items they need for free.
Although PPO donations divert usable items away from trash during move-out, a large volume of waste is still generated at the end of each spring semester. The Mason Facilities Housekeeping and Waste and Recycling team members work hard and long hours during move-out to keep the university's facilities clean while also collecting, transporting, and disposing of all trash, recycling, and compost.
Every Mason Patriot can support the hard-working Housekeeping and Recycling team members by reviewing Zero Waste Mason guidance and disposing of waste appropriately at move-out trash and specialty waste streams designated outdoor drop-off locations. Responsibly sorting and disposing of waste protects Mason workers from harmful exposures, facilitates efficient waste hauling to prevent overflowing bins, and maximizes the recovery of waste resources by diverting them away from incineration through recycling and composting.
PPO is a university-wide initiative made possible by Mason Patriots’ collective participation. You can make PPO 2024 a success by signing up to volunteer! Mason students can volunteer during PPO to earn service-learning and volunteer hours for classes, Fraternity & Sorority Life, and registered student organizations (RSO). Mason faculty and staff are encouraged to speak with their supervisor about volunteering during their work hours after referencing volunteering guidance.
PPO 2024 invites all Mason Patriots and local community members to participate by donating or volunteering! Together, we can support Mason Patriots’ and local community members’ basic needs while making Mason even more sustainable!
Explore Patriot Packout 2024’s webpage to learn more about accepted donations, donation locations, and volunteer opportunities: https://go.gmu.edu/PatriotPackout
Patriot Packout 2024’s Mason partners include the Patriot Pantry, Trans Clothing Closet, Art Supply Sharing Closet, the First Gen+ Center, Parking and Transportation, INTO Mason, Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), and Mason Dining’s collaboration with Move for Hunger, among others. Local community partners include the Committee for Helping Others, Food For Others, Immanuel’s Hope, Shelter House (Katherine Hanley), Women Giving Back, and the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, among others.