Syracuse University’s Ten Tons of Love drive collected 45 tons of food, clothing, house wares and books, and 18 truckloads of furniture during its spring 2010 drive. Donations were sorted at First English Lutheran Church and disbursed to individuals and charities throughout Central New York, rather than be discarded as students moved out of their residences at the end of the academic year. 

Recipients of the donated items include Transitional Living Services, Interfaith Works of CNY Center for New Americans, First English Food Pantry, Northside Clothes Closet, Refugee Resettlement Program, Practical Assistance Program, Bethesda Temple Pentecostal Church, and Mary Nelson’s Backpack Program. 

Darya Rotblat, director of the Office of Orientation and Off-Campus Programs, a principal unit of Student Affairs, chairs the drive. “This year was by far the smoothest and biggest year yet for Ten Tons of Love,” says Rotblat.  “We collected a warehouse full of furniture, which will help hundreds of families, and we also received an outpouring of support from local businesses.  I cannot thank enough those who assisted, without their support Ten Tons of Love would not be possible.” 

This ambitious effort would not be possible without the cooperation and support of many volunteers and community businesses. The Ten Tons of Love committee thanks the following businesses who donated their services: OCRRA, SU Material Distribution, Sedgwick Business Interiors, Brown’s Moving and Storage, 1-800-Got-Junk, Syracuse Office Environments, Charette Brothers, the Syracuse Department of Public Works, SU Physical Plant, Greater Syracuse Moving and Storage, Syracuse University FIXit, Syracuse Teen Challenge, and Reasonable Tents and Party Rental.  Holy Shirt! provided t-shirts for the staff and volunteers. 

The following organizations and individuals provided food for the many volunteers who helped gather, sort and transport the tons of goods for distribution: A La Mode, Dominos Pizza, SU Food Services, Varsity Pizza, Sabastino’s, King David’s, James Smiley, Naomi Sorrwar-Randall, Joyce Bresnahan, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church/Fayetteville, St. Michael’s Lutheran Church/Camillus, Luther Memorial Lutheran Church/North Syracuse, and Thomas Tzivanis and Vanthom Corp., of SUBWAY on Old Liverpool Road. Tom Reid and Frank Heuber also generously donated the use of Bilcon’s Warehouse to temporarily store furniture and other items.

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