The April 25th event in the college's S.H.A.P.E. fitness facility was a community action outreach by students to encourage people to recycle and share unwanted household belongings with others less fortunate, particularly during these tough economic times.

Organized by the college's Center for Service Learning, participants donating items were asked to separate clothing from rags, and place them in bags labeled: "women,"  "men," "children," or "rags." Shoes, bags and coats were also donated.

The community was then invited to the college to choose items and take them home free of charge.

The Salvation Army collected items that were not taken, to re-sort and sell them in their stores. Items not sold by the Salvation Army are recycled again and sent to Third World countries.

It was fantastic," said JSC Coordinator of Community Services, Courtney Close. "The day before the event, we had 55 car loads of items in 360 bags, and an additional 23 bags came in the day of the event.

"We had about 250 people come to the event on Saturday to choose and pick items, which was a huge success. That was our biggest hope, to get the community there.

"We also had a big turn out of 42 volunteers, from the community, faculty and staff, to help with sorting items. We also got to a lot of the clubs on campus involved in the event, including the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and the Student Government Association.

"The Drop 'N Swap helped to show how Johnson is involved in the community.  The event spoke to civic engagement, community relations, and spoke to the issues of poverty and the economy. We're hoping this will become an annual event at JSC," Close added.