From today until May 10, Penn State students can donate items they do not want to the Trash to Treasure program.

Anything from appliances to athletic equipment and from carpets to clothing can be put in barrels at residence halls around campus.

On May 24, Penn State and the Centre County United Way will host the Trash to Treasure sale of donated items at Beaver Stadium.

A. Fraser Grigor, associate director of special projects for Housing and Food Services, came up with the idea for the program several years ago.

Grigor said Penn State needed to find organizations to help with the program because housing is tied up at the end of the year with move-out and summer preparations.

The Centre County United Way is assisting with the program this year. In years past, Penn State worked with the Interfaith Mission and several local church groups. "With pick-up and storage of the donated items, the program got too big for [the Interfaith Mission] to handle," Grigor said.

Eleanor Beaver, executive director of the Centre County United Way, said this is the second year United Way has been involved with the program. "We were invited by Penn State and are happy to do it," she said. "We felt [Trash to Treasure] was such an incredible idea."

The Centre County United Way provides a host of volunteers to sort the donations and help out on the day of the sale, Beaver said.

"Penn State provides the place to hold the event and takes care of getting the donated items from the dorms to the stadium," Beaver said.

The Centre County United Way receives all the money that is made at the sale, while any nonperishable food goes directly to the local food banks, Beaver said.

Grigor said the university saves money because it does not have the expense of hauling the items -- which would likely be thrown away by students -- to the landfill at the end of the year. If donated items are left at the end of the sale, a community outreach group from Williamsport takes the leftover items to donate in the future, he added. "Everything usually sells because there are such good bargains," Grigor said.

Beaver said last year one person bought a rug for $3 and had it appraised at $500. "It's a win-win all around," Beaver said. "The community wins and the people who buy the goods win."

Dave Edwards, volunteer chairperson of the Student United Way, helps coordinate students who want to volunteer. "[Trash to Treasure] is a very worthy cause because Penn State benefits and the community benefits," Edwards said. "Nobody loses and it's a wonderful opportunity to give something back."

People interested in volunteering should contact Connie Schroeder, communications director for the Centre County United Way, at (814) 238-8283.