Thrifting Mecca at Isla Vista GIVE Sale

Students Donate Belongings in End-of-School Year Tradition

A Citrix employee is dispatched to make sure electronics donated for the GIVE sale are in working order

This Saturday and Sunday, thrifty shoppers will flock to Isla Vista where thousands of pieces of clothes, furniture, and gently worn housewares form the landscape of UCSB’s annual GIVE sale.

A common sight in Isla Vista when school lets out. Students pile up unwanted items to be hauled off to the GIVE sale.

As students purge their apartments and dorms of items amassed during the school year, the campus project, entering its 21st year, encourages them to donate belongings they might normally discard — books, electronics, and other miscellaneous items in decent condition.

Proceeds from the sale will support nonprofit organizations and community projects in Isla Vista, including youth groups, church outreach programs, and the UCSB Student Housing co-op.

The weekend sale is free and open to the community, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in UCSB’s Embarcadero Hall parking lot at 935 Embarcadero del Norte in Isla Vista.

UCSB donated trucks to help move belongings from apartments to the Embarcadero Hall parking lot for the annual GIVE sale.

Catherine Boyer, acting director of student affairs, grants, and development at UCSB, says GIVE reflects a growing consciousness among students to be socially and environmentally aware.

“Students want to be ‘green’ and contribute zero waste, and they want to give back to their local community,” said Boyer in a written statement. “Even in the haste of cleaning and moving out as soon as final exams are over, students recognize that what they no longer need or want can be used by someone else.”

Last year, the sale raised more than $27,000.