'Grad Bags' - College freshmen from Yonkers get free dorm supplies

Incoming college freshmen from Yonkers got help stocking up on supplies ahead of the start of school season.

News 12 Staff

Jul 27, 2022, 12:11 AM

Updated 866 days ago

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Incoming college freshmen from Yonkers got help stocking up on supplies ahead of the start of school season.
Soon-to-be college students were able to pick up all the comforts they will need for their dorm rooms at the Yonkers Partners in Education on Tuesday.
The nonprofit Grad Bags collects unwanted items and recycles them by giving them to incoming college students.
“Before this was happening, we saw students show up with not much and their roommates would have sheets and comforters, hangers, and shower totes, and our students wouldn’t, and that sends a message to kids that, ‘You don’t belong here,’” says Sam Wallis, of Yonkers Partners in Education.
Lalaine Castellon, an incoming Penn State University freshman, says the giveaway was a big help.
“It really lifted the weight off my family’s shoulders…besides tuition, this put a big dent in the funding aspect in college,” Castellon says.
The program has been running for five years. Some students who took part in the program before and are now graduating are re-donating the things they’ve received.