TRASH TO TREASURE SALE

Shoppers find deals, steals

Annual event raises more than $60,000 for county United Way

By Sara Ganim

UNIVERSITY PARK — Mary Alis walked through the gates of Beaver Stadium on Saturday morning, rushed past the coveted big-screen televisions people were raving about and headed straight for the furniture.

CDT/Melissa Doss

State College resident Sarah Huffard, a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, sorts through a table of $1.00 shirts at the Trash to Treasure sale to benefit Centre County United Way at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, May 31, 2009. At the end of May, volunteers sort through and price a wide range of items donated by Penn State students, and last year about 65 tons of items sold amounted to $55,000 for the United Way. CDT/Melissa Doss

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“I just wanted furniture,” Alis, a Penn State student, said. “I skipped the TVs, everything else.”

Alis just moved into an apartment, and furnished the whole thing Saturday at the Trash to Treasure sale — filling two truckloads with a sofa bed, couches, chairs, lamps and more — for $100.

None of it was junk, either. For the most part, it looked stain-free, didn’t have holes or missing pieces. Just lightly used. That’s her reward for being in line at 6 a.m.

Another student, Nate Ford, looking for items for his first apartment as he moves from being a freshman to a

sophomore, had a much different collection.

“We got Christmas lights, a Pokemon sippy cup for drinking,” Ford said. “Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots drinking cups.”

And a small spinach colored — saying it nicely — green couch. The arms were a little chewed up, but it wasn’t that bad.

“What drew me to this couch? The price tag,” Ford said. It’s going in the garage, so he doesn’t care too much.

“I got everything for amazing prices,” Ford said. “And, it’s all for a good cause.”

This year more than $60,000 was raised and will go to the United Way. Leftover items go to the Salvation Army, then the garbage dump. The idea is to help salvage the trash Penn State would otherwise collect when thousands of students leave for the summer.

People line up at the gates in the wee hours of the morning for a chance at the best loot. This year, the line stretched from Gate C of the stadium to Porter Road.

Michelle Pecce, of Snow Shoe, was there at 4 a.m. trying to get one of the 52- inch televisions promised to be there.

With about 25 people in front of her in line, she wasn’t lucky enough to get one.

“After we found out the big TVs were gone, we were all done with being here,” Pecce said.

Discouraged, she found some other useful things, including 12 rugs, priced at three for $5, to line the kennels of her nine dogs.

“That’s why I’m getting so many now,” she said of the price.

Frank Bianco, shopping with his wife, Marie, was eyeing the last computer left in the electronics section at 11 a.m.

“Next year we’re going to pay the $5 to come in early,” Marie said.

Those who pay an extra $5 were allowed through the gates at 7:30 a.m., instead of 9 a.m.

The Bellefonte couple had come looking for a refrigerator for their garage, but came up short.

But a boxload of books — which they called the “real treasure” — for $2 will satisfy them.

“There’ll be a lot of enjoyable home reading,” Frank said.

Sara Ganim can be reached at 231-4616.