Work at Lighten Up!
Student workers are essential in the collection of donated items and the success of our community sale. In fact, we hire around 60 students each year to help with the event!
Student workers are responsible for collecting items from Pod containers around campus. They also perform occasional sweeps of the residence halls for donated items. The items are loaded into vans and hauled across campus to the sale location.
Students assist with the setup, sorting, and cleanup of the sale, working hands-on in teams of 2–3 with the Lighten Up sales manager, Custodial Services, CCCE staff, and volunteers.
Apply to work at Lighten Up! 2026.
Donate Your Unwanted Stuff!
Students: please donate clothing, small dorm room furniture, household items, books, bedding, sport equipment, and other things worth keeping out of the landfill!
Every spring, near the end of the term, storage pods are placed in several locations around campus.
POD Locations
May 19–June 25
- Stadium #1 (June 17)
- Stadium #2 – stored and returned to campus on Aug 28 for NSW event
May 28–June 16
- Musser/Complex (2)
June 2–June 16
- James/Nourse
- Cassat/Myers/Evans
- Lilac/Goodhue/Farm
We accept the following items:
- Clothing
- Bedding
- Shoes
- Food
- Toiletries, open or unopened
- Kitchen cookware
- Fridges
- TVs and electronics
- Books
- Household items, decorations, games
- Fans, lamps, small appliances
- Small furniture
- Sports gear
- Anything in good condition
Please DO NOT DONATE pillows, mattress toppers, large furniture, or anything broken or unusable.
Shop at the Sale(s)!
Be on the lookout for notices about pop-up sales during the academic year. These take place in the Chapel Basement.
Carleton students are welcome to shop at the June sale. We have free items and use a “pay what you want” system for students. There is also a pre-sale Carleton senior day, when graduating students can come by and shop the sale.