Free Store Club Plans 2026 Move Out
Sophie Aguilar | April 21, 2026
Students sit outside of the the CORE Warehouse, home to the Free Store, at Warren Wilson College (WWC) in Swannanoa, N.C. on April 10, 2026. (Echo/Richmond Joyce)
When students move out of their dorms at the end of a school year, unnecessary waste is often produced. Many campus community members at Warren Wilson College (WWC) think that waste can and should be donated to provide a new life for used items. A group of students and staff are organizing a move-out Free Sale from May 4-7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Bryson Gym to help achieve this goal.
The new Free Store club, the main group that is in charge of this event, is seeking volunteers to help execute the Free Sale perfectly. Fae Elkin is the supervisor for this club. Marren Dougherty, Zea Lopez Bird and Jetta Ghosthorse are some of the students who are working on this project as well. Starting fall of the 2026-27 academic year, the Free Store will have its own crew supervised by Elkin.
“Move out is really strenuous to organize, and therefore we really are going to be relying on volunteer support,” Elkin said.
The goal of the move-out Free Sale is for students to bring belongings that they no longer need but still have a bit of life left in them. Students can bring these items to Bryson Gym, and other students and community members will be able to take these items home for free. This will help eliminate the number of items that would have ended up in the landfill otherwise.
“Everyone has a lot of things,” Elkin said. “You’re going to have to offload stuff, it’s a part of the human experience. But the reason why we do this is to give back to each other and to keep things out of landfills.”
The move-out free sale will be for any items that students are getting rid of, such as clothes, kitchen utensils or mattress toppers. There will also be a specific section of Bryson Gym that will be designated for E-waste to be donated and/or disposed of.
“It’s a model of circular economy that we implement at our school,” Lopez Bird said. “Showing up, participating and volunteering are great ways to also show your support. We’re diverting from the landfill, so that’s huge.”
The Free Sale is also an opportunity for students to connect with other WWC members and with outside community members. It is helping students get rid of things that would have ended up in the trash and helping other students obtain new items that will bring joy and give the items a new life.
“I’m really excited for students to show up for the Free Store and this community and take the burden off [the cleaning staff] and other people who will be here during the summer who will have to deal with all of the trash that gets left behind,” Dougherty said.
This event will also bring the WWC community together to show how sustainability is practiced on campus. At the event, the people working will be weighing what comes in and what goes out.
With the assistance of volunteers and community partners, the goal is to donate any leftover items at the end of the week to local charities and nonprofits, instead of giving to larger thrift store companies.
“Come get your garb’ on and bring all your old stuff, because someone else will love it,” Ghosthorse said.