Time is running out to help provide Thanksgiving for those in need, as the annual Canned Food Drive at Tusculum College will end Friday, Nov. 6. The event is sponsored each year by Sodexo, who has partnered with the Center for Civic Engagement for the third year of the drive.
For those who wish to donate, labelled white boxes are located at all major buildings around the Greeneville campus, including McCormick Hall, the Thomas J. Garland Library and the Niswonger Commons.
“I’m going home for Thanksgiving to have a feast with my family, but I know others aren’t as lucky,” said Brock Hakalmazian, a senior business major from Fort Worth, Tx. “I think it’s great Tusculum College is investing in the community and blessing local families with food for the holidays.”
Dr. Ronda Gentry, director of the CCE, said, “I always ask people, ‘What would you like to eat?’ Donate what you would want to eat, what you would want your family to eat.”
Last year, the campaign brought in a total of 196 pounds of food. This year, Dr. Gentry hopes to double that.
All donated goods go to the Greeneville/Greene County Community Ministries Food Bank, which will handle distribution. Many families in the area depend on the Food Bank to help put food on their tables, especially with the holiday season rapidly approaching.
“Many families in Greene County live below the poverty line,” said Dr. Gentry. “They don’t have access to a lot of foods.”
The Canned Food Drive is not limited to just canned goods. The CCE will accept any nonperishable items, including jars and boxes of food. For example, boxed pasta and jarred spaghetti sauce would be greatly appreciated, as would boxes of stuffing and jars of gravy. Donations must be placed in the boxes around Tusculum College’s Greeneville campus.
To learn more about the Greeneville/ Greene County Community Ministries Food Bank, visit http://goo.gl/3eNeae.
The Tusculum College Center for Civic Advancement seeks to engage the heart, mind and soul of Tusculum through cultivating awareness of self and of others. They aspire to do this through the establishment of meaningful relationships with our local, national and global communities.
By Madilyn Elliott, senior journalism and professional writing major from Hampton