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United Way clothing/food drive set

MIT's United Way campaign will sponsor a clothing and food drive from December 7-18, with four new drop-off locations added since last year.

All items will be sent to three Cambridge agencies: CASPAR (Cambridge and Somerville Program for Drug Abuse and Alcoholism) on Albany Street, the Salvation Army on Massachusetts Avenue, and Shelter, Inc. at 116 Norfolk St.

The shelters are most in need of clean winter clothing of all types in adult sizes: men's and women's coats; warm gloves and mittens; sweaters; warm hats; socks (even if they don't match); boots and shoes; single sheets, pillowcases and blankets; towels and face cloths; and long underwear and regular underwear.

Laundry detergent and personal-care items, including combs and brushes, soap, shampoo, deodorant, shaving materials, etc., are also needed, as are baby furniture, crib sheets and diapers. Donors may arrange for pickup of larger items by calling Peggy Carney at x3-4605.

The shelters also maintain food pantries and welcome donations of non-perishables such as canned goods, pasta, pasta sauce, hot and cold cereal, powdered milk and cake or brownie mix. CASPAR also welcomes donations of food left over from holiday parties, as well as frozen goods. They can be brought directly to the shelter at 240 Albany St.

Drop-off locations for clothing and other items are:

���������������������������������������������Lobby 7
���������������������������������������������The first floor of the Stratton Student Center
���������������������������������������������The Building E23/E25 atrium
���������������������������������������������The Building E18-E19 lobby
���������������������������������������������The Sloan School lobby (Building E52)
���������������������������������������������Rm NE43-110 in the Laboratory for Computer Science
���������������������������������������������Rm NW16-204 in the Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Four additional locations this year are:

  • ������������������Rm NW21-104
  • ������������������Building W91 in Kendall Square
  • ������������������The Building 34 lobby
  • ������������������Walker Memorial (either the entrance lobby or the Office of Special Community Services in Rm 50-005)

As of November 23, MIT's United Way campaign stood at 49 percent of its 1998 goal with $158,822 pledged by 641 donors, including 38 Leadership Givers who have pledged at least $1,000 apiece. The Institute hopes to raise $322,000 as part of the $47.9 million goal of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, which funds social-services agencies that help 2.2 million people in 80 cities and towns. MIT's fund drive runs until December 31.

An end-of-campaign raffle will be held again this year. Everyone who makes a donation or pledge during the United Way campaign is automatically entered into a drawing for prizes donated by local vendors. Names of the winners will be drawn at a "Thank You Party" for solicitors in mid-February.

For more information on the clothing drive, contact Liz Mulcahy or Annmarie Cameron of OSCS at x3-7914, Bill Wohlfarth of Facilities (Rm E18-269, x3-1741), or Ms. Carney of electrical engineering and computer science (Rm 38-444, x3-4605).

More information is available on MIT's United Way campaign web site and the site for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on November 25, 1998.

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