Students participate in annual food drive drive
LAURA CORISTIN
News Writer
In order to help provide needy families with food for the holidays, students at Saint Mary's helped organize a food drive benefiting the Food Bank of Northern Indiana from Nov. 11-22. The Island Oasis Smoothie Company, the board of Dalloway's Coffeehouse and Sodexho Food Services, the College's food service company, sponsored the drive. For every four cans or perishable food items donated, students received a coupon for a free smoothie that could be redeemed at Dalloway's Coffeehouse.
Bill Carnegie, director of the food bank, said they are running out of food everyday.
"The big picture is we provide food to over 300 local charities, and they have basically cleaned us out of food," said Carnegie. "We are being forced to turn away agencies."
The Food Bank of Northern Indiana serves about 90,000 people per month in 10 counties in northern Indiana, said Carnegie. He pointed out that many members of the community are unaware of how many people in the local area go hungry every day.
"A lot of people don't realize that and don't look beyond fences and streets," said Carnegie. "They go where they need to go without realizing that they are so close to people who need so much."
Susan Almeda, a student manager at Dalloway's, said she is pleased with the results of Dalloway's food drive and with the generosity being shown throughout the Saint Mary's community.
"I feel that every little bit helps because the Food Bank of Northern Indiana is in such desperate need of food," said Almeda. "Any contribution that we can make can help, and because there are other food drives going on for the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, the college is doing a really good job of collecting food as a community."
Carnegie added that the Food Bank of Northern Indiana would accept both food and monetary donations. Every $500 raised brings in a truckload of food worth approximately $6,000 of donated food, she said.
All News Stories for Monday, November 25, 2002
