Honors initiative
Students organize drive for Food Bank of Delaware
9:51 a.m., Feb. 18, 2014--During the month of February, the Honors Program and the University of Delaware Honors Engaging in Neighborhood Service (HENS) organization are paring together to successfully aid in the “Share a Second Helping” campaign for the Food Bank of Delaware.
To reach their goal of raising 100,000 pounds of food by the end of the month, the Food Bank has reached out to the University for support. Through campuswide outreach, several donation bins have been placed in locations across UD's Newark campus.
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With the help of the student body, HENS and the Honors Program intend to raise a total of 200 pounds of all canned and nonperishable foods, and a bin has officially been placed in the Honors Program building at 186 South College Ave., which is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays-Fridays. HENS also look has bins in several residence halls, including those on the North Green and Louis L. Redding Hall, as well as the P.O.D. Market Harrington.
In addition to canned goods, HENS and the Honors Program are accepting monetary donations. Students can donate at the annual Honors Program Winter Snow Ball dance, to be held on Feb. 21, or at the first HENS meeting of the semester on Feb. 19. For students who are unable to attend either, donations can be made at the Honors Program office.
For Sarah Georger, co-curricular coordinator of the Honors Program, the opportunity for students is incredibly beneficial. “Many of our students are motivated by community service and come from a background where they’ve been able to serve their communities at home,” she said, “so being able to connect to that here is really important and being able to give back to the community is intrinsically rewarding.”
HENS also hopes to strengthen their relationship with the Food Bank and aid a fellow UD Honors alum and the Food Bank’s Coalition to End Hunger coordinator, Dan Reyes, in the process.
“The food bank is a fantastic organization and their location in Newark is very convenient for students,” said Annie Gould, president of HENS. “While our goal for this food drive is to collect 200 pounds of food by Feb. 28, our larger goal is to help expose students to the great work the Food Bank of Delaware does and encourage more students to become involved with their mission.”
The Food Bank also has been working hard to achieve its 100,000-pound goal as well. Through the sponsored campaign plan, Share a Second Helping, their statewide radio, billboard, and print ad campaign has been launched in New Castle County.
“Our print ad campaign focuses on sharing the stories of individuals who are currently utilizing food assistance or have used it in the past. We hope this will dispel negative stereotypes of the people who utilize food assistance,” said Kim Turner, the Food Bank’s Communications Director.
Once donated, the food from HENS as well as donations from community members will be distributed to the Food Bank’s network of “hunger-relief” partners, including food closets, shelters, soup kitchens, and non-profit organization providing free food assistance to those in need.
Article by Nicole Sullivan