St. John's University Queens, NY, Campus

St. John's Saves

“The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away.”
–Dorothy Day, Servant of God

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THIS YEAR’S DATES: May 1-May 13, 2026

Turn Generosity Into Action 

Rooted in the Vincentian Mission, St. John’s Saves is a campus-wide sustainability and service initiative that makes it easy for students to donate gently used items and supporting individuals and families in need. Through a partnership between the Office of Residence Life, Campus Facilities and Services, Campus Ministry, and the Institute for Vincentian Impact, donation collection bins are placed in residence halls and other strategic locations across campus.

This initiative reflects the call of Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ to foster communities that care for one another and the environments we share. The encyclical reminds us that, “Everything is connected,” and encourage us to create residential spaces that reject the disposable nature of our culture and divert useful items from the landful to neighbors in need.

Get Involved

Grab your sneakers and sign up for a morning or afternoon shift. Faculty, administrators, and staff can add their name and contact information to this shared document to join in the effort. 
 
We’ll meet each day in the Donovan Hall Fitness Center and fan out across the campus with an army of laundry carts. This is a great way to meet many of the good people we work with here at St. John’s and lend a helping hand to our local community. We welcome individuals, groups, and department teams to join us in this undertaking.

Help St. John’s Saves turn generosity into action. Sign up for more than one shift and we guarantee that you can skip leg day at the gym for a week! 

Jason T. Bartlett, Ph.D., Director of Residence Life, at [email protected]; 718-990-2417.

Clothing

  • Shirts, pants, jackets, sweaters
  • Shoes and accessories
  • Clean clothing in wearable condition

Food

  • Unopened, non-perishable food items
  • Shelf-stable packaged foods

Books

  • Textbooks
  • Novels and leisure reading
  • Academic and professional books

Household Goods

  • Small dorm or apartment items
  • Kitchenware and utensils
  • Small appliances
  • Storage containers and décor

To ensure donations can be safely redistributed, please do not donate:

  • Underwear
  • Egg crates or foam mattress pads
  • Dirty, damaged, or heavily soiled items
  • Perishable food
  • Opened food packages
  • If you are unsure whether an item can be donated, please choose another method of disposal or recycling.

Items collected through St. John’s Saves are distributed to organizations that directly benefit communities locally and beyond:

  • The St. Vincent de Paul Shop of Long Island, supporting charitable outreach and community assistance programs
  • Better World Books, which resells and redistributes books to support literacy initiatives worldwide
  • The St. John’s University Career Closet, helping students access professional clothing for interviews, internships, and career opportunities
  • Vincent’s Table, providing food and support services to individuals experiencing food insecurity
  • DePaul USA’s DAX Program, which supports St. John’s students experiencing homelessness.
  • Through these partnerships, donations from our campus community are transformed into meaningful resources that support education, food security, and economic opportunity.

You’re welcome to bring your personal donations to any of our drop-off sites. Do you have unwanted professional clothing? Did you stock up on too many canned goods during that recent trip to a big box store? Are you haunted by that garment in the back of your closet that you’re never going to wear? Visit the Donovan Hall Fitness Center and drop off your donations during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, or visit one of our collection bins across campus. 

St. John's map of Donovan Fitness Center Location

MAIN COLLECTION SITE FOR DONATIONS AND SORTING:

  • Donovan Hall Fitness Studio

RESIDENCE HALLS

  • Carey Hall Lobby
  • DaSilva Hall Lobby
  • Donovan Hall Lobby
  • Henley Road Residence Lobby
  • Hollis Hall Lobby
  • Janetschek Hall Lobby
  • O’Connor Hall Lobby
  • Seton Complex Lobby

ACADEMIC BUILDINGS

  • St. Thomas More, Narthex
  • Sullivan Hall, Main Lobby outside Campus Ministry

 

2024: 2.5 tons of donations

2025: 3.5 tons of donations