Patriot Packout

PATRIOT PACKOUT

Upcoming Events

Patriot Packout (PPO) is George Mason's community-based donation initiative that diverts new and gently used items from trash and redistributes them to students, faculty, and staff for free!

Items you may find through PPO include clothing, shoes, books and tech, art-making and office/school supplies, non-perishable food and toiletries, small appliances and furniture, bikes, scooters, and skateboards, and MORE.

PPO is made possible by countless university partners and supporters, including (mostly volunteer) staff, faculty, students, and community members.

VOLUNTEER WITH PATRIOT PACKOUT

Patriot Packout (PPO) is Mason’s annual end-of-the year donation initiative. PPO provides on-campus donation resources for all students, faculty, and staff affected by move-out. PPO diverts usable items from trash and redistributes them to Mason students, faculty/staff, and community members who can benefit from them. All Mason Patriots can donate to PPO at the end of each spring semester.

Sign up via the Sustainability Volunteer Portal - create a free account, browse volunteer opportunities, and sign up for as many as you would like!

PPO HISTORY

PPO began in 2003, when Mason Facilities staff members collected clothing items and transported them to the Salvation Army to divert them away from move-out trash bins. It became a formal initiative in 2010, through a partnership between University Sustainability, Housing and Residence Life, Parking and Transportation, and Facilities Management. 

Since 2010, PPO has diverted 123,208 pounds of reusable goods, electronics/appliances, non-perishable food supplies, and toiletries through not-for-profit donations!

Past donation partners included on-campus resources like Mason’s Patriot Pantry, the Trans Clothing Closet, and the Art Supply Sharing Closet. However, most PPO donations were typically distributed off-campus through partnerships with non-profit organizations like Food for Others, Goodwill, the Salvation Army, AmVets, and the Clock Tower Thrift Shop. 

In 2023, University Sustainability launched the Patriot Packout Planning Committee to expand PPO’s impact on campus, with the goal of prioritizing the free redistribution of donated goods to the Mason community and those in need.

PPO BENEFITS

  • Reduces the waste disposal of usable items and transfers them to folks in need. 

  • Donates food and toiletry supplies to students through the Patriot Pantry and other Mason resources. 

  • Provides a safe donation and disposal alternative for hazardous and universal waste items.

    • Reduces improper dumping of broken appliances and furniture and pollution, protecting Housing and Residence Life and Facilities staff members. 

  • Decreases waste hauling and disposal costs while reducing staff time spent on waste removal and monitoring. 

  • Streamlines the move-out process by providing students and families with a resource to donate items.   

  • Provides service-learning and civic engagement opportunities for all participants. 

Head Above the Water

Head Above the Water: Respecting the Power of Water Through Artmaking, Storytelling, and Flood Risk Mitigation Awareness

JUNE 24, 2023

Oxon Run and Watts Branch, Washington, DC

Organized by the City as Living Laboratory (CALL), Mason Exhibitions, WEACT for Environmental Justice, and others!

Artists Cary Michael Robinson and Nicole Salimbene, along with environmental scientists and community organizers, facilitated a day of walking/talking/making along Watts Branch & Oxon Run streams and neighborhoods. This event served as an invitation to honor the power of water through creative expression, and to learn more about the flood risks and mitigation programs/actions to protect the community and the surrounding waterways in Ward 7 and Ward 8.

WALK LEADERS

Dr. Alsean Bryant, Strategic Support Team Clinical Pharmacist at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation for the DC, MD, and VA region

Dr. Travis Gallo, Assistant Professor in Urban Ecology and Conservation in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland

Brenda Richardson, Coordinator for the Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative (APACC) & Vice-Chair of the Friends of Oxon Run Park

Cary Michael Robinson, Interdisciplinary and Mixed Media Artist.

Nicole Salimbene, Interdisciplinary Artist

Dr. Jennifer Sklarew, Assistant Professor, Energy and Sustainability Policy, Food-Energy-Water-Climate Nexus, Social Science, George Mason University

Absalom Jordan, Chair, Friends of Oxon Run Park

Jaren Hill Lockridge, Director, The Well at Oxon Run

Made possible with support from the DC Department of Energy and the Environment and FEMA