Project ReCollect 2026 Breaks All Records!


Project ReCollect is a volunteer-run campus and community waste-reduction and recycling program. Items are collected from students leaving in May, and resold in August to students moving in. This helps students furnish their living spaces economically while keeping useable items out of landfills.

Net proceeds from the Project ReCollect Sale benefit
Cops, Kids & Toys' work to provide holiday gifts to children in need.


READ ABOUT YOUR IMPACT

About Project ReCollect

Project ReCollect, a collaboration between Cornell University staff and Cops, Kids & Toys, was established to provide departing Cornell students with an easy way to donate their unneeded, Yet still serviceable, dorm room and apartment supplies and clothing for resale and reuse, thereby saving thousands of pounds of quality goods from the dumpster and landfill.


Donated items are sorted and priced by volunteers, and then sold, first to local college students, and then to the broader community. Proceeds from the Project ReCollect Sale support the purchase of holiday toys and gifts to families and children in need throughout Tompkins County.

The Impact of Your Support

From August 17 through 23, 2026, more than 10,000 people shopped at Project ReCollect, finding affordable furniture, clothing, household goods, toys, and other useful items donated by Cornell students and members of the community.


Behind the weeklong sale was an enormous community effort. More than 50 volunteers from Cornell and the surrounding community contributed hundreds of hours to pickups, sorting, merchandising, sales, administration, and cleanup.


This year’s record volume of donations included tens of thousands of items. Through the sale and the redistribution of unsold merchandise, Project ReCollect kept more than 70 tons of reusable goods out of the landfill and grossed $99,000 before costs.


Net proceeds from the Project ReCollect sale will support Cops, Kids & Toys and its holiday gift program that provides gifts to children throughout Tompkins County.

50+

Volunteers contributing hundreds of hours of service 

70

Tons of perfectly useable items diverted from landfills

10K+

Student and community shoppers at the Project ReCollect Sale

$99K

Grossed with net proceeds benefitting Cops, Kids & Toys' holiday gift program

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the Project ReCollect Sale?

    The Project ReCollect Sale helps incoming and current students by giving them a way to purchase inexpensive pre-owned dorm room and apartment supplies.  This sale was established first and foremost for students of Cornell, however the broader community is also invited to attend.  


    Items sold at the Project ReCollect Sale come from generous departing Cornell students and community members who choose to forego the dumpster and instead donate their unneeded clothes and other dorm and apartment household goods. 


    The Project ReCollect Sale is made possible by community volunteers, Cornell students,and Cornell employees. There are many ways to get involved!  

  • How do you obtain the items sold at the Project ReCollect Sale?

    The majority of the items that make up the Project ReCollect Sale come from Cornell University students. Community members also donate items. You can feel good knowing that the Project ReCollect Sale supports people in need in Tompkins County, New York. 

  • How is the money raised by Project ReCollect used?

    Project ReCollect is a collaboration between Cornell University staff and Cops, Kids & Toys. Net proceeds are used to provide holiday gifts for children in need in Tompkins County, New York.  


    Cops, Kids and Toys, an organization that is over 40 years old, that provides children in Tompkins County with holiday gifts. Cops, Kids and Toys also helps families with car seat installation and donations. 


    Project ReCollect also provides materials from the sale to local food banks, schools, Friends of the Library, animal shelters and rescues, child care centers, mental health facilities at the local hospital, as well as local churches that give clothing to families in our community. Our volunteers work hard to ensure that everything unsold that is usable and still has life left in it is donated back to the community. 

  • What Student ID is required to shop on Student Sale Days?

    The goal of Project ReCollect is to help college students buy gently used clothing and household items at very reaonable prices. Proceeds from the sale benefit our parent organization, Cops, Kids & Toys, which purchases holiday toys for kids in need in Tompkins County.


    Therefore, to help the students who need it most, we require a valid student ID from any college for admission on the Student Sale days. Valid student ID could include an ID card from any regional college OR an acceptance letter or email from your college. Parents are allowed to attend the sale with their college students. 


    The general public is invited to attend the Project ReCollect Sale. Thank you for being considerate and understanding! 

  • How does Bag Sale Day work?

    Bag Sale Day is a favorite day for volunteers and the customers alike! At Bag Sale Day, you can purchase large, heavy duty bags for $25 each and you can fill your bag(s) with whatever fits. Items that do not fit into bags are 50% off on that day only. Please pack your bag carefully and be sure you can carry it to your car. Feel free to bring a friend to help, as we cannot hold merchandise or bags.

  • Why aren't all days of the sale open to the public?

    The purpose of the Project ReCollect Sale is to help Cornell and other area college students purchase nice quality household goods and clothing at inexpensive prices so they can save money. Since the goods are donated by other Cornell students and Ithaca College students, and the sale is not possible without their generosity, Project ReCollect offers priority purchasing opportunities to students first so they can get what they need without waiting in line for hours. 


    We receive massive amounts of donated goods and continuously restock clothing, bedding, and other areas of the store from our stockpile. Rest assured that there will be plenty of items available when the sale becomes open to the public. We continue to bring out new clothing and keep the racks full until we run out of items in the back of the store. Children's clothing will be out for Bag Sale Day, although there are a few coats that will be out prior and will likely go before Bag Sale Day takes place. 

  • What forms of payment are taken during the sale?

    Project ReCollect can take cash, credit cards, debit cards, and checks as payment during the sale.  

  • My local college student leaves for college prior to the sale. Is it possible to open the sale earlier?

    Unfortunately, we are not able to open the sale earlier to college students. We do hold a pre-sale for volunteers who have given 20 hours or more of their time, and this pre-sale occurs before we open the sale to students. If your student can volunteer 20 or more hours before the leave for their college, they can attend the volunteer pre-sale.  

  • Why aren't you open to all from day one of the sale?

    Project ReCollect is made possible thanks to the generous students of Cornell who leave their belongings behind for volunteers to sort through and sell. Since students make Project ReCollect possible, students should get "first dibs" on the the sale items. Trust us, there is plenty for all and we will be replenishing clothing and goods throughout the sale. The specials are mixed in throughout the batches of clothing and we will still have clothing to put out on for the weekend and for Bag Sale Day!

  • What happens to the items that do not sell?

    Items that do not sell after Bag Sale Day are offered to local nonprofits that give the items for free to individuals and families they support. 


    If you are involved with a nonprofit that would like to be considered to receive unsold items for the people you serve, please email us at info@copskidsandtoys.org and we will set up an appointment for after the sale.  


    Appointments are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Only nonprofit representatives can attend this appointment, it is not for clients. 

Examples of Great Finds

From Past Sales

A store filled with lots of clothes hanging on racks.

2026 Price List

Volunteer for Project ReCollect

Project ReCollect would not be possible without the hundreds of hours contributed by our dedicated volunteer team. Volunteers sort, clean, organize and display merchandise, as well as run the sale.


Project ReCollect volunteers who work 20 or more hours are invited to attend a pre-sale event. Items are not sold prior to the pre-sale.


Sign up to become a Project ReCollect volunteer by emailing your availability and interests to: info@copskidsandtoys.org.


We regret that individuals who resell merchandise as a business cannot be volunteers.

VOLUNTEER
quotesArtboard 1 copy 2

"I have been volunteering for years, and it makes me so happy to save perfectly good items from the landfill for re-use by students who can now furnish their dorms and apartments at a fraction of the cost of buying new. Even better, the proceeds from the sale support individuals, families and children in need! "

A man with a beard and a beanie is sitting in the driver 's seat of a car.
Tyler Mix
Volunteer
Caroline, NY

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