Students can find more than food at Hubbell Dining Hall. In a lower floor study room, clothing, craft supplies and more are available for free.
Griff’s Thrift opened its doors on April 3, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in lower Hubbell. The free store, a community initiative by the Drake Environmental Action League, aims to provide materials that students may need.
DEAL President Allie Raines said the energy at the grand opening was thrilling.
“Many students were excited not only about the free store itself, but the idea that they could donate items for a second life,” Raines said in an email interview. “Even if a student does not find an item that they want, they can still leave an answer or drawing to our question of the week, or read the sustainable fact.”
Raines has been working with Drake Sustainability Coordinator Sydney Dvorak and several subcommittee members to create this initiative.
This initiative is the first to enter a space and business agreement with the Student Entrepreneurship Stores Pilot Program through the Drake Sustainability Office. Other applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as space allows for students with business entrepreneurship ideas for Drake.
The project was funded by the Slay Fund for Social Justice. Raines hopes the free store will bring a less “cynical attitude” to campus on an issue as large-scale as sustainability.
“I often hear people commenting how they can’t make an individual impact because the problem of climate change is so much larger than themselves,” Raines said. “I think Griff’s Thrift proves that even though it is hard, time and dedication can make an impact on sustainability efforts.”
Lily Wasserman contributed to writing.
Allie Raines is a Times-Delphic staff writer.
