Clean Sweep, a ‘garage sale on a massive scale,’ returns to L-A on June 14

A “garage sale” on a massive scale that benefits the environment, community organizations and countless satisfied shoppers, Bates College presents its 14th annual Clean Sweep from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at Underhill Arena, 145 Russell St.

As students pack up to leave Bates at the end of the school year, they donate to Clean Sweep all kinds of possessions still in good working order — clothing, electronics and toys, household goods and small furnishings, bikes and books, sporting goods and more. Faculty, staff and the college itself also donate items.

It’s a win-win-win-win situation: Shoppers find treasures at bargain prices, still-usable goods are kept out of the waste stream and the proceeds go to local nonprofits, who in turn supply volunteers to staff the sale.

“Last year we lowered our prices,” says Julie Rosenbach, Clean Sweep organizer and the college’s manager of sustainability. “And we expect to keep them low again this year.”

To learn more, please call 207-786-6207.

Bates is one of a number of colleges and universities nationwide that hold such sales. Last year’s event at Bates raised nearly $17,000, which was divided among 14 local nonprofit organizations.

The volunteers who help staff the sale collect, organize and price items, and help clean up afterward.

Located in Lewiston except as indicated, the nonprofits taking part this year are:

• Catholic Charities of Maine’s Seek Elderly Alone
• Renew Courage and Hope (SEARCH) Program
• Community Partners, Inc.
• The First Universalist Church, Auburn
• The Justice Ecology and Democracy Collective, Greene
• The Life Center at John F. Murphy Homes, Auburn
• The Loaves and Fishes program of the Dominican Sisters, Sabattus
• Lots to Gardens
• Lutheran Social Services, Auburn
• The St. Martin De Porres Residence, a homeless shelter
• The Share Center, Auburn
• TriCounty Mental Health Services and its Social Learning Center
• The Trinity Jubilee Center