On Tue, Apr 2, 2013 at 7:05 AM, Max Shinn <max at bernsteinforpresident.com> wrote: > I was under the impression that FreeGeek's purpose was reducing waste > rather than distributing computers to low-income students. Don't they > give their refurbished computers to their volunteers and sell them at > their thrift store instead? not quite, volunteers that volunteer 24 hours of their time get a $40 credit at the thrift store, which is sufficient for a basic workstation($25) and then some or applied towards a higher end workstation. Free Geek Twin Cities' purpose is threefold, 1. to reuse electronics(computer specifically), 2. to reduce e-waste by responsibly recycling electronics(not computers specifically) that cannot be reasonably reused and 3. to work to bridge the digital divide and increase computer literacy. as part of 3. FGTC will donate workstations to organizations that work to increase digital literacy(admittedly a very broad scope). It is true that FGTC does not directly donate computers to individuals, the nominal cost FGTC charges at the thrift store goes to cover the operating costs of the organization. Computers need power to run, buildings need heating/cooling, internet access is needed to install and update and OS and none of this is cheap. and yes, I volunteer at Free Geek Twin Cities.