Project Outreach is a club at Marywood University that has made a name for itself in the form of donation boxes around campus.

Focused on giving back to the community, Project Outreach is a nonprofit organization throughout Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia that participates in and hosts several volunteer and donation-fueled events, such as food and clothing drives.

Graduate Physician Assistant major Carley Sliwka established Project Outreach at Marywood two springs ago in hopes of getting more students to donate unwanted items. Large boxes are available in various campus buildings to place donations in at the end of each semester.

Sliwka explained how much work goes into the donation process from start to finish.

“We have to reach out to organizations around the area to see what they are in need of the most,” Sliwka said. “One place might need jeans more than canned food, so we try to prioritize what donations go where.”

Project Outreach works with a number of nonprofit organizations centered around helping the homeless, or others who are in need, such as Friends of the Poor, Keystone Mission and others around the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia areas.

Leading up to the end-of-the-year donation drop, members of Project Outreach also volunteer at local food and clothing drives. With the help of Marywood’s Volunteers in Action (VIA), students are encouraged to tag along and assist with volunteer work.

Advisor of VIA Ann O’Brien said that Project Outreach isn’t just a way to get unwanted items off your hands.

“This is truly making a difference in someone’s life,” O’Brien said. “We take so much for granted without realizing it, and donating and volunteering like this helps to put Marywood’s values back into perspective.”

Students who are in search of volunteer work or have questions about Project Outreach can contact Sliwka at [email protected] or 732-320-6151.

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