BETHLEHEM, PA — A nonprofit organization on the South Side of Bethlehem, PA, is giving back to the community by re-distributing clothing and other items left behind by recent graduates from local colleges and universities.
An estimated 4 million college students graduate every summer in the USA and move on, eager to tackle the next stage of adult life. As college campuses grow increasingly diverse from both out-of-state and overseas students attending, the ability to move years worth of collected belongings back home with them is a daunting task.
Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, located at 520 E 4th St, Bethlehem, PA, uses this unique opportunity to give back to the community’s needy. They began this specific program last year, and the results have been increasingly positive.
Students from Lehigh University, Lafayette, and other schools gather their unwanted belongings at the end of the year and haul them over to the center by the carload to donate. The items are given a once-over and sorted before being laid out for the public to browse. The center also accepts donations from the general public.
The organization empowers low-income individuals throughout South Bethlehem and Northampton County. While the Hispanic community is its core demographic, it assists citizens from all walks of life, helping them become more self-sufficient while promoting an intercultural understanding within our communities.
In an interview with Lehigh Daily, Operations Manager Lizzette Melendez educated us on the nonprofit’s offerings and goals. Some services available at the center include workforce development, social services, the Basilio Huertas Senior Center, and more. From low-cost certification assistance to LIHEAP support, they can lend a helping hand.
She explained how, recently, a woman with two children who did not have money for school clothes came by and could find clothing items in the sizes she needed. “It was almost like she had hit the lotto.”
“A lot of these college kids are well off, so a lot of this is name-brand stuff,” Melendez said. “You take it home; you clean it, you’re good.”
These “free yard sales” happen once or twice a week, depending on the volume of donations received at any given time. “Sometimes it’s clothes; sometimes it’s household items. Sometimes, it’s fruits and vegetables from local farmers in the valley,” she added.
“Whatever we get, we turn it around. We could have easily done a yard sale at a quarter each, but we want to help the community.”
If you need help or want to donate, please visit the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley at 520 E 4th St, Bethlehem, PA 18015.
