The Mitty Freecycle: Benefitting the Mitty Community and the Environment
A glimpse inside the Mitty Freecycle, the first event of its kind on campus
This year, Mitty hosted its first-ever Freecycle—an event where people can donate Mitty gear they no longer need, allowing others to obtain them for free! By providing students with stylish Mitty attire and reducing waste, the Mitty Freecycle aims to benefit both the Mitty community and our environment as a whole. Led by junior Alexis Korb, the Freecycle has collected donations since the beginning of November and will culminate on December third, the day the donated clothes will be given away.
Last summer, Alexis calculated that “Mitty produces around 5,000 shirts annually, which are likely to be thrown out as they become too small or as students graduate.” With a handful of siblings that attended Mitty before her, Alexis admits, “I have piles of Mitty clothes around my house, and I figured I couldn’t be the only one that this was happening to.” Alexis was further inspired by the annual freecycle that takes place in the community where she lives, prompting her to bring the idea to the school.
The Mitty Freecycle came to life when Alexis brought a proposal pitch to Campus Ministry and met with Principal Ms. Kate Caputo to formulate a plan. According to Alexis, “Once that happened, I’ve sort of just been following the steps that I’ve laid out.” The first step she took was setting up collection bins in Sobrato and the Front Foyer.
With the help of Campus Ministry teacher Mr. John Marheineke and Student Activities assistant Ms. Julia Rodriguez, Alexis began her second step of campaigning to get students involved. Students were encouraged to donate clothing using flyers posted around campus and various Mitty Minutes that aired on the morning announcements. Alexis also collaborated with the Green Team—a Mitty club dedicated to improving our environment and informing students about different environmental issues—using their contacts to reach out to potential volunteers to distribute the clothing. Moreover, the Lion’s Den contributed to the cause by donating a couple bags of leftover clothes that did not sell because they were slightly tattered. In addition to advertising the Freecycle to current Mitty students, Alexis said, “I reached out to the Mitty alumni committee and they were nice enough to both post about the event on their social media and message the alumni community.” As a result, a special donation bin was set up near the advancement office to collect alumni donations.
This project has been a success so far, having received over a hundred items of Mitty gear . All donated clothes will be inspected for quality to ensure that they are able to be repurposed. On the day of the Freecycle event, the clothes will be sorted by size and category, such as pants, jackets, and sweatshirts. The Freecycle will be first-come, first-served and will take place immediately after school in Sobrato on December 3.
With the yearly ebb and flow of graduating seniors that can donate old clothes, the school hopes to make this event an annual Mitty tradition. Alexis plans to continue the Freecycle next year and hopes “there will then be people who will carry it on and make this a legacy.” Clearly, the broader Mitty community has also embraced this idea, as Ms. Caputo writes, “The Freecycle event provides a great opportunity for students, faculty and staff to repurpose Mitty gear within our community. The positive impact this can have on our community and our environment is of great benefit to us all.”
