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Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) Hosts ‘The BIG Sale’ at Legends on Saturday, Aug. 16

by Madison Fisler Lewis

Aug. 7, 2014. On Saturday, Aug. 16, Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) will host the annual BIG Sale at Legends on the campus of Appalachian State University. The event will take place from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. across from Red Onion on U.S. 321. 

imgresItems being sold at the event were items that were salvaged and donated by ASU students during move-out week at the end of the last school year through the “Don’t Throw it Away” campaign as well as community donations. Items for sale will include carpets, furniture, clothing, electronics, accessories, food and more. The sale is open for the community to attend. 

There will also be a Carpet Pre-sale held Friday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Legends and Duck Pond Field. 

Proceeds from “The BIG Sale” will benefit the energy conservation initiatives of local nonprofit organizations and a scholarship for students at Appalachian State University, according to a press release. Funds from the 13th annual event will benefit Avery County Habitat for Humanity, FARM Cafe and the Farm Incubator Grower’s Project (FIG) at Maverick Farms. Proceeds will also benefit an international service-learning scholarship. 

Natalie Knight started the BIG sale in 2000 in an effort to reduce and reuse items that students were throwing away at the end of the school year. Knight collected items herself and donated them to OASIS, a domestic abuse shelter. The volume of donations led Knight to pair up with Dump and Run, a national organization that helps organize events like the BIG Sale on college campuses. The first BIG Sale event took place in 2001 at Duck Pond Field and raised $3,342.27 for Watauga Department of Social Services Foster Care Program.

Last year, The BIG Sale was a massive success last year, bringing in more than $21,000 and diverting 70 tons of materials from landfills.