Spring Break
Donations solicited for local charities
Kate Monohan
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: News
Imagine not having a steady food supply with the holiday season just around the corner.
"Nobody should be hungry on Thanksgiving," said Kim Ripley, a 1st-semester real estate and urban economics major. Ripley is a volunteer for the Northeast Community Food Collaborative food drive.
The Northeast Community Food Collaborative is an organization that is working through UConn Community Outreach to provide Thanksgiving meals for local residents. UConn student volunteers are helping obtain donations to give to the program for this Thanksgiving.
This is a brand new food drive program, which is working to help several charities like the ACCESS Agency, Catholic Charities and Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic, according to program director Emily Galanto, a 5th-semester environmental science major.
Items that are recommended for donation are non-perishables such as cereals, pastas and soups. Galanto urges students who clean out their rooms of extra foods that are going to be left behind over Thanksgiving break to donate them to feed hungry families in the community.
The drive started on the Nov. 17th, and ends today. Donations can be given at a collection table in the Student Union lobby from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be health educational decorations, and a can-tower building contest, Galanto said.
According to Galanto, the drive has been going on all week with participation from such groups as, Greek Life, HuskyTHON, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), The UConn paintball team, Hillel, and UConn's cultural centers. In addition, the modern and classical languages, political science, anthropology, statistics and individualized major departments are sponsoring the effort with large donations.
Galanto hopes students will donate because this is the "worst year for food security" we've seen in recent years, she said and because, "Willimantic is right in our [UConn's] backyard."
According to the Connecticut Food Policy Council Report (2005), Northeast Connecticut has the lowest food security in the state. Out of 169 towns ranked from best to worst, for example, Mansfield was ranked 147th for food security.
Because of Northeast Connecticut's food insecurity, the Northeast Community Food Collaborative needs as many donations as possible to provide Thanksgiving meals for the many hungry families in the area.
Galanto explained that this is not solely a UConn effort. Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) is working in conjunction with UConn to raise donations for the Collaborative. ECSU is holding a Thanksgiving dinner in one of their dining halls to feed needy families with the food donations they receive.
Before packing to leave campus, Ripley and Galanto ask students to consider that there are people living in nearby communities who do not have access to the nutritional foods they need, not only during the holidays, but year round.
Ripley urges students should give what they can, "There's no excuse," she said. "Our country has so much […] why not help out?"
"Nobody should be hungry on Thanksgiving," said Kim Ripley, a 1st-semester real estate and urban economics major. Ripley is a volunteer for the Northeast Community Food Collaborative food drive.
The Northeast Community Food Collaborative is an organization that is working through UConn Community Outreach to provide Thanksgiving meals for local residents. UConn student volunteers are helping obtain donations to give to the program for this Thanksgiving.
This is a brand new food drive program, which is working to help several charities like the ACCESS Agency, Catholic Charities and Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic, according to program director Emily Galanto, a 5th-semester environmental science major.
Items that are recommended for donation are non-perishables such as cereals, pastas and soups. Galanto urges students who clean out their rooms of extra foods that are going to be left behind over Thanksgiving break to donate them to feed hungry families in the community.
The drive started on the Nov. 17th, and ends today. Donations can be given at a collection table in the Student Union lobby from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be health educational decorations, and a can-tower building contest, Galanto said.
According to Galanto, the drive has been going on all week with participation from such groups as, Greek Life, HuskyTHON, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), The UConn paintball team, Hillel, and UConn's cultural centers. In addition, the modern and classical languages, political science, anthropology, statistics and individualized major departments are sponsoring the effort with large donations.
Galanto hopes students will donate because this is the "worst year for food security" we've seen in recent years, she said and because, "Willimantic is right in our [UConn's] backyard."
According to the Connecticut Food Policy Council Report (2005), Northeast Connecticut has the lowest food security in the state. Out of 169 towns ranked from best to worst, for example, Mansfield was ranked 147th for food security.
Because of Northeast Connecticut's food insecurity, the Northeast Community Food Collaborative needs as many donations as possible to provide Thanksgiving meals for the many hungry families in the area.
Galanto explained that this is not solely a UConn effort. Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) is working in conjunction with UConn to raise donations for the Collaborative. ECSU is holding a Thanksgiving dinner in one of their dining halls to feed needy families with the food donations they receive.
Before packing to leave campus, Ripley and Galanto ask students to consider that there are people living in nearby communities who do not have access to the nutritional foods they need, not only during the holidays, but year round.
Ripley urges students should give what they can, "There's no excuse," she said. "Our country has so much […] why not help out?"
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