To kick-off North County Earth Month activities, the City of Oceanside and the Green Oceanside team invite residents to Donate-First Day.

At Donate-First Day, residents are encouraged to donate gently used items such as clothes, household goods, toys, furniture, and e-waste. Also, local food banks will be on hand during Donate-First Day to collect healthy food donations such as canned fruits and vegetables, fresh produce, and dairy products. All donated items will go to local non-profits and charities. Military and senior citizens with valid ID are invited to pick up remaining donated items for free from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“Donate-First Day is a great event to help our community, give residents an opportunity to donate their unwanted things and keep perfectly good items out of the trash and our landfill,” said Colleen Foster, Solid Waste and Recycling Management Analyst, City of Oceanside. “The City of Oceanside has a recycling goal of 75-90 percent by 2020. Educating people about the importance of donating, reusing, and recycling with events such as Donate-First Day will help us reach that goal.”

Items collected at Donate-First Day will be distributed to Goodwill, Community Resource Center, Terri Inc., Assistance League of North Coast, Oceanside Firefighter Association, Solutions for Change, Rancho Coastal Humane Society, Veterans Green E-Waste, The Hill Street Country Club, North County Food Bank, and Donate Don’t Dump.

“This year, Oceanside has dedicated the entire month of April to environmental awareness and sustainability events,” added Foster. “Earth Month 2014 is an opportunity to learn about the environment and participate in activities that not only protect it, but improve it. We have an event for everyone and admission for all events is free.”

North County Earth Month is a month of free events sponsored by the City of Oceanside and North County community partners. The Green Oceanside campaign is dedicated to teaching residents and local businesses how to be better stewards of the Earth by recycling, reducing waste, composting, using water efficiently, and preventing water pollution and litter. Other North County Earth Month activities include the Create to Educate Performance Showcase of students on April 25, Loma Alta Creek Cleanup on April 26, Compost Bin Design Workshop on April 26, and the North County Earth Festival on April 27.