MARQUETTE – Do you have a food processor you don’t use? A winter jacket in a color you don’t like? Don’t get rid of them just yet.

Northern Michigan University’s Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity will go door to door in the city of Marquette March 21-27 to collect items for the St. Vincent de Paul Society store in Marquette.

Ethan Reader, 19, of Marquette, a freshman majoring in secondary education with a social studies emphasis, is spearheading the drive.

Fraternity brothers will collect items from 2 to 5 p.m. during those days and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. They will visit both residences and businesses, with a drop-off spot at Americas Best Value Inn at 1010 M-28 East in Harvey.

“We’re going door to door to collect any donations that people might have,” Reader said, “mainly nonperishable foods, toiletries, clothes, and then anything that isn’t broken.”

Being unbroken – or unstained – is key, said Stephanie Bordeaux, St. Vincent de Paul store manager.

“We could use furniture, any gently used items,” Bordeaux said. “Clothes would be welcome.”

One of the store’s purposes, she said, is to help people furnish their homes, so even giving an unused mixer is a big help.

“Someone’s garbage is always someone else’s treasure,” Bordeaux said.

Jackets with no broken zippers and snowpants are particularly needed apparel, she said, plus the store also could use laundry soap, kitchen items and toilet paper.

Speaking of which, Reader said his goal is to have his fraternity donate 500 rolls of toilet paper.

He also stressed the frat will wear special shirts for identification purposes and at least one to two cars will be used during each shift.

“All the brothers are going to be wearing letters, so that’s how they’ll be able to recognize us,” Reader said.

They will identify themselves verbally, he said, before asking people if they have anything to donate.

“If people want us to, we can come into their house and help them grab stuff,” Reader said, “or they can just bring it out to us.”

The collection drive fits in with the Tau Kappa Epsilon mission.

“The purpose behind it is that our three pillars are love, charity and esteem,” Reader said, “and so all of us who joined the fraternity joined because we believe in the charity part of it, because that’s one of our most important parts.”

He said he was looking at all of Tau Kappa Epsilon’s charity events, including big ones for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and noticed it was lacking in having multiple large local events.

Having grown up in Marquette, Reader said his family used to go to St. Vincent’s for food once a month, so he figured it would be a nice way to give back to the organization.

This is the first time Tau Kappa Epsilon is conducting such a collection drive, he noted, but he wants to make it a successful one.

“In my mind, I would like to be able to consider it at least one of the top five donations St. Vincent’s will receive in a year,” Reader said.

He said the members will bring the donated items to the St. Vincent de Paul store at the end of each shift, looking over goods to see if they can be donated or not.

“That way people aren’t using us as basically just garbage disposal,” Reader said.

If the event goes well, he plans to make it an annual endeavor, and possibly will expand it to a charity event that runs throughout Lent, depending on the public’s interest.

For information on the collection drive, contact Reader at 906-362-5424 or ethanbednarz@ gmail.com.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250.