Like all colleges, Liberty University replaces residence life mattresses on a regular schedule. With more than 8,400 students in campus housing, LU replaces hundreds or sometimes over a thousand mattresses every year, all in good condition. In 2025 The Quads residence halls were on the schedule, with 480 mattresses to be replaced. Consistent with LU’s commitment to responsible stewardship, the Office of Residence Life sought a better solution than throwing still useful mattresses into the trash.
Director of Warehouse Services Da’Kari Scott took responsibility for finding that better solution. His research led him to The Reuse Network. The Reuse Network matches used but still usable furnishings with nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and around the world for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. Over more than 20 years, The Reuse Network has facilitated reuse for hundreds of colleges and universities across the country.
The Reuse Network made a match with a charity active in Ghana and other countries in West Africa. On May 28, soon after students left for summer break, two 53-foot tractor trailers arrived on LU’s campus. A crew of movers brought the mattresses out of The Quads and packed the trailers full. A Reuse Network project manager was onsite to supervise and provide quality control, rejecting mattresses that were stained, ripped, or otherwise unfit for immediate reuse.
LU’s mattresses were trucked and unloaded at a warehouse in northern Virginia. From there they have been mingled into shipments of other relief supplies, packed into overseas shipping containers, and dispatched to communities in West Africa.
By reimagining “waste”, Liberty University is helping to improve the lives of hundreds of families, many thousands of miles away. To do so is to live up to one of LU’s core values: “Coming alongside those in the midst of difficulty and standing up for them is a privilege and an important way we demonstrate being Champions for Christ.”
Key Players
Maureen Washburn, Assistant Director of Facilities, LU
Randy , Willis, Director of Housing, LU
Shelby Kluver, Associate Director of Facilities, LU
Emerson Lennon, The Reuse Network
