Donations for International Students
From My World to Yours is a project started by a UCM student with the goal of reducing waste and ultimately assisting UCM international students by making gently-used items available to incoming international students at no cost.
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Reducing Waste
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Cutting Costs for New Students
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When UCM international students return to their home countries, they can only bring the items that fit in their one or two checked bags. Their only option is to throw everything else - bedding, dishes, school supplies, room furniture, cleaning supplies - away. From My World to Yours gives students an option to make a difference in the lives of incoming international students. However, since anyone can donate, UCM domestic students, faculty, staff, and community members also enjoy donating items that are not accepted by other organizations on campus.
Self-SufficientThe items that are donated all must be thoroughly cleaned or laundered before students having access to them. FMWTY receives so many donations that we are able to use donated cleaning supplies and still have plenty left over for students to choose from. Additionally, students who take donations when they arrive return the items when they leave, or pass them on to other international students, ensuring that nothing is wasted.
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When international students arrive at UCM, they are often overwhelmed by the amount of money they spend right off the bat. Their first day of orientation includes a trip to Walmart for them to purchase everything they will need for their stay. Students staying for as little as one month and as long as six years all need the same things - bedding, cooking supplies, basic room furniture, cleaning supplies... the list goes on and on. Understandably, no one wants to spend hundreds of dollars on supplies they can only use for a limited amount of time. Offering items for free gives students a more practical, budget-friendly option.
Promoting a Global Community
Imagine arriving in a foreign country, walking into your new room or apartment, and finding....nothing. The thought of purchasing everything you need in a foreign language overwhelms you, and you're not even sure what you will and will not need yet. Throughout the last three years, students who had access to donations have reported feeling welcomed, less stressed, and surprised that someone had thought about their needs before they arrived. Since departing students usually donate some items from their home countries, arriving students are usually able to find supplies in their own languages,making them feel even more at home.
Serving the Warrensburg Community
There's no reason for multiple organizations to do the same thing, right? FMWTY receives a huge variety of donations, but our purpose is to provide items from which international students can benefit. As a result, we send any donations that we cannot use or that remain unclaimed to other organizations here in Warrensburg, such as Campus Cupboard, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Salvation Army.
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