SU Opens Sammy's Stash Secondhand Shop

By SU Public Relations

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University students can now go shopping without leaving campus thanks to SU’s Recycling Department. 

Sammy’s Stash secondhand shop, geared toward reducing waste and providing free sustainable resources, saw more than 20 appointments and over 100lbs of gently used items recirculated back to the SU community in its first week. The new facility was dedicated at the beginning of SU’s fall semester.

“These are items geared toward students because they are donated from students,” said Geremy Mercado, junior environmental studies and international relations major and SU Student Government Association director of sustainability. “The kinds of things you’ll find here are not only exactly what students are looking for but a much better option than shopping at a major retailer. 

“While we can’t stop production of new items constantly being made, we can continue to reuse perfectly good resources and keep the use cycle going. This shop makes life easier for students because now there’s no need to go off campus when you may find what you’re in need of right here.” 

Support for Sammy’s Stash includes funding from SU’s Strategic Innovation Fund and staffing by ShoreCorps AmeriCorps program. 

Visitors are able to shop residence hall essentials, clothing, kitchenware and more. Individual shopping appointments are available once a week to current SU students and employees with a valid Gull Card.

Sammy’s Stash is located at Dogwood Village Unit J, Room 9. Item donations are accepted via the designated drop off shed outside of the unit. 

The shop is the latest effort in secondhand sustainability efforts at SU. Other initiatives include the “Give and Go” program, which allows students to donate items during their move out each semester in an effort to divert waste while giving back to the local community. The Environmental Student Association promotes secondhand shopping through their annual Thrift Market, where students directly shop and sell their gently used items.

“During our first semester implementing the ‘Give and Go’ program, we received a lot of interest from students who saw what their peers were giving away and expressed a need for those items,” said Rachael Faust, SU recycling coordinator. “While in the inaugural SULead Cohort I learned of funding opportunities like the Strategic Innovation Fund and it was the solution I was looking for.

“I wanted to find a way to keep these donations on campus so the same audience interested in the items wouldn’t have to travel to other secondhand stores to end up paying for them or potentially miss out on them.”

Any non-perishable food or hygiene products received are donated to SU’s Food for the Flock pantry, which serves as a distribution program for food-insecure students, and professional attire is donated to SU’s Career Closet, a program that allows students to borrow professional clothing to wear for job interviews and career fairs.

For more information on the shop email Faust, to schedule an appointment visit the Sammy’s Stash webpage and follow the department’s Instagram at salisburyuniversity_recycles for weekly story features on new items.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at the SU website. 

Pictured, from left, are: Eli Modlin, SU chief of staff and vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives; Dr. Dane Foust, SU vice president of student affairs; Zebadiah Hall, SU vice president of inclusion, access and belonging; Aurora Edenhart-Pepe, SU vice president of administration and finance; Dr. Christy Weer, dean of SU's Franklin P. Perdue School of Business; and Rachael Faust, SU recycling coordinator.