ShareFest continues to benefit Oxford, surrounding communities
Oxford’s Community Development Director Sam Perry, who also serves on the board of ShareFest, said the event went well this year, despite fewer volunteers than previous years and some issues with poor-quality donations that could not be used.
As Miami University students moved out of their houses and residence halls this May, ShareFest volunteers were hard at work collecting and distributing the community’s discarded items.
ShareFest is a community donation drive established by a nonprofit group of the same name. Every move-out season, they collect donations and distribute them to community groups to reduce waste and benefit people in need. They accept lightly used clothing, furniture, appliances, housewares and nonperishable goods.
This year’s ShareFest was held from May 14 to 19. Items were picked up at various Miami University residence halls or dropped off by community members at Chestnut Field.
Oxford’s Community Development Director Sam Perry, who also serves on the board of ShareFest, said the event went well this year, despite fewer volunteers than previous years and some issues with poor-quality donations that could not be used.
This year, recipient groups included food pantries, tenants associations, charities, shelters and local government and school programs. Some individuals also directly received items such as mattresses. Additionally, Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries handled temporary storage for the event and received items that were not used locally.
Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries received more than 57 tons of items, not including donations from Miami University residence halls. Additionally, ShareFest “diverted over 4,300 pounds of e-waste thanks to generous support from Butler County Recycling and Solid Waste,” said Rob Abowitz, Miami’s director of residence life and a ShareFest board member.
“It’s very possible that there could have been over 100 tons of items,” Perry said.
Available data indicates this would be an increase from previous years; a 2024 report to the Oxford City Council indicated the total weight of items processed by ShareFest that year was 73 tons. However, this is still a decrease from pre-pandemic levels of donations, which peaked in 2019 at 109 tons.
While many ShareFest items come from the university, Miami is also a recipient of donations. According to Abowitz, ShareFest donated “several dozen old or broken computers to HYPE, a Miami student organization who will refurbish the computers and give them to agencies for distribution to low income families.”
Miami’s International Student and Scholar Services also received approximately three van loads worth of items, according to an estimate by Perry, which will be given to international students in need.
Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services (TOPSS) Executive Director Sherry Martin reported TOPSS received 3,952 pounds of food, which is 26 pounds more than they received last year. These donations are important to provide the pantry with food over the summer, when there are fewer food drives.
Often, food from ShareFest is used to make “harvest bags,” which are used to provide extra food to children whose caregivers utilize the TOPSS pantry. TOPSS also receives small appliances and dishes, which are given to people who are being rehoused.
ShareFest will return to Oxford next May, and organizers are asking community members to consider volunteering for the event. Volunteer sign-up and training information is available on ShareFest’s website, sharefestoxford.com.
