The latest iteration of Gulfport’s Junk in the Trunk event took place at the 49th Street Neighborhood Center Saturday, June 20, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event welcomes the community to donate, trash or give away old furniture, appliances, tires or other items for free. The city normally charges to pick up such items.
Junk in the Trunk is held three times a year and is purposed to “clean and green the city” according to Margaret Tober of the Gulfport Neighbors, who co-sponsor the event.
“We’ve taken about 30 tons of trash off the streets,” said Tober. This event collected 6.58 tons of trash and 4 palettes of electronics.
As has become tradition, Saturday’s JITT also included plant offerings and gardening tips courtesy of local gardeners, as well as coffee talk with Gulfport police, and free bike registration and helmet giveaways. Heart-warming moments also seem to be becoming a tradition at JITT.
Tober wrote in an email of one such instance at the end of the day, Saturday: “Just before we closed and after a very hard downpour, a resident came up to dispose of an XBox and games. Nearby stood a woman who overheard the donor and asked if she could have the game for her grandson. She had been wanting to buy him one for some time, but financial priorities took precedence. The happiness that beamed from the face of grandma and grandson was, as the cliché goes, priceless!”
If you missed Saturday’s collection, another will be held in October. No firearms, drugs, liquor, chemicals or batteries are accepted.
The event is for Gulfport residents only. Proof of residency (driver’s license or utility bill) is required.
