Thrift swap
Can dorm life be a space for communion?
As a first-year student at Central Michigan University, I was housed in one of the most community-oriented halls on campus. As the first semester flew by and the next one was fast approaching, I watched as fellow residents took on leadership roles in hall-wide events, from fundraisers to intramural sports. I wondered how I could give back to my community, and in November 2018, an idea began to form.
Some friends and I were talking about how many clothes we brought to school, and of those, how many pieces we never actually use, but end up taking back home. I had already experienced how living the “communion of goods,” just as the first Christians did, could help keep us from falling into consumerism and accumulating material things. In talking with my friends, we realized that a lot of what we possessed was trivial to us but could be useful for others. On that day, the spark was lit which would later become the “Thrift Swap.”
Organizing the event took a lot of time and energy, given that classes were still in session and final exams were approaching. After a few weeks of planning, I decided that I would hold the event the week before final exams. As students were packing to move out, I figured many people would have clothing items that they would no longer need, and what better time to gather all of those clothes and share them with one another!
During the week leading up to the event, my roommates helped me make flyers to put around the hallways and entrances of our residence hall. Soon word got out, and people were dropping off bags and boxes full of clothes into our little collection.
On the evening of the event, I gathered all the donations and arranged them around the recreational room in my residence hall. Fellow students were free to come and go, browsing the collection for new additions to their wardrobe. The dynamic of the event was similar to what one would find in a thrift store — hence the name “Thrift Swap.”
It was heartwarming to see people find joy and excitement in someone else’s donation. I’m glad I carried this idea to the end, even with the pressures of end-of-the-semester schoolwork.
It’s easy to get carried away by obligations that seem to hold more priority, like schoolwork. But being an active citizen in a community should also be an obligation. This communion of goods helped me experience the fulfillment which comes from putting commitment into serving others.
~ Maryam Hanani, 2020
First published in Living City magazine – www.livingcitymagazine.com