June 10, 1997 Garbage, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and St. Vincent de Paul is finding UO students' refuse irresistible. Residence hall students will leave for summer vacation on Friday, June 13, and rather than discarding their unwanted items, they're donating them to St. Vincent de Paul for reuse by low-income residents. "We've got containers for these discarded goods in each of the 45 residence halls," says Bonnie Damewood, custodial services manager for the UO housing office. "Students would otherwise throw away tons of perfectly good items, so this is a logical way for us to help the less fortunate." Damewood started recycling students' discarded items to the needy six years ago. The effort grew to be such a success that this year the university asked social service providers to bid on the job and St. Vincent de Paul was selected. Agency executive director Terry McDonald says the items will be made available for free at St. Vincent de Paul's social service locations, or will be rehabilitated and resold at its stores. Proceeds from sales go to support the agency's housing, food boxes and other programs. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our organization to take advantage of a wealth of items which would otherwise be lost and will instead be put to good use by those in need in the community," says McDonald. Items donated by students range from televisions and microwaves to clothing, books and toys. "We've had as much as three tons of items in years past, so we expect the containers to be brimming by the time students leave," says Damewood. SOURCES: Bonnie Damewood, custodial services manager, Office of University Housing, (541) 346-4301; Nancy Wright, facilities director, Office of University Housing, (541) 346-2667; and Terry McDonald, executive director, St. Vincent de Paul, (541) 687-5820. -30- #T-1066/Day