College computers donated to homeless charity Emmaus

"We have donated three batches of hardware in the last six months, and we will be donating again in the future. It is great to know we are supporting such a good cause.”

More than 200 used desktop computers have been donated to Emmaus by St John’s to be recycled and reused by people who use their services.

The charity provides a home and ‘meaningful work’ for homeless people. St John’s has also donated printers, monitors, cables, laptops, network switches, and keyboards that were no longer needed. The equipment will be repurposed and sold on at low prices – the money raised will support the activities of the charity, which opened its first UK branch in Cambridge in 1991.

IT and Emmaus

Amy Leung, IT Administrator, came up with the idea of donating to Emmaus. She said: “I’m on the College’s Sustainability Committee and wanted to ensure that our computer equipment was recycled locally. We have donated three batches of hardware in the last six months, and we will be donating again in the future. It is great to know we are supporting such a good cause.”

A spokesman for Emmaus said: “The donations from St John’s have been invaluable to us. Every piece of equipment we receive is inspected to assess if it is suitable for being refurbished and sold, or if it needs to be responsibly recycled. All proceeds raised through sales in our shop or through our eBay store help us support the 44 people we house who have previously experienced homelessness or social exclusion.”

It is not the only recycling initiative at St John’s – 40 abandoned bicycles have been donated by the Head Porter to Recycle Your Cycle, a charity which works in partnership with HM Prison Service. The cycles are refurbished by prisoners and then sold.

Published 28/02/2020

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