MCC Lost and Found Sale resells unclaimed and donated items at affordable prices
A fundraising sale hosted by MCC’s Center for Community & Civic Engagement (CCCE) sold heavily discounted unclaimed lost and found items to attendees in need of affordable materials.
Funds raised by the event will be put towards the CCCE’s Making a Difference grant, which administers financial aid for students who have committed to any service working project, according to the grant application.
The Lost and Found Sale occurred in the building KSC 35N lobby on the Southern and Dobson (SODO) campus from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with hundreds of marked down items up for grabs, including school essentials like books and calculators. While some items were donated by various departments, most came from the lost and found at the College Police station, according to the CCCE’s Program Coordinator Alejandra Maya.
“The campus police keeps them for a certain amount of time, and if they’re not claimed, they give them to us,” Maya said.
This venture is unique to Maya and her current team, according to her. She organized the sale along with the CCCE’s Senior Administrative Specialist Andrea Sanchez, and Service Learning Specialist Emma Thadani.
The goal behind the sale was to give back to students items they may need at an accessible price while also raising funds for the grant, according to Maya.
“The reality is the people who are coming here really do need the books. They need the materials, the folders, etc.,” Maya said.
Many of those needed items were placed on a table near the register and sold free of charge.
Among the more unconventional items was a donated painting for sale as well as some ceramic ware. Additionally, a long table to the side of the room was nearly halfway packed with unclaimed water bottles.
Several attendees were concentrated around a table holding hoodies and other articles of clothing, with one expressing excitement over finding a discounted Kirkland hoodie.
The vast majority of the items did not sell for more than $20 each, with outdated electronic equipment such as microphones taking up the bulk of the higher-priced items.
One of many students intrigued by the sale was Hollyn Abraham, a theatre costuming major. She found out about the sale through her employer, MCC’s Student Life and Leadership, according to her.
“I love thrifting and I love buying stuff used, so I wanted to go check it out, and I ended up finding a lot of stuff,” Abraham said.
If given the opportunity, Abraham said that she would return next year.
Should anyone on the SODO campus lose a personal belonging, the lost and found can be accessed via the College Police station on the southwest side of campus.
