As a member of the Food Systems team at the Hanley Sustainability Institute, my team’s primary mission is to promote food justice and food security to students.
One of our main programs is the Food Recovery Network in partnership with the Food4Flyers Food Pantry at the Brook Center, and last semester, we expanded our efforts to have our first-ever food drive. Like most of my team’s initiatives, we partnered with the Brook Center, and all of our donations were for the campus food pantry.
To reach a greater audience, we asked several social action organizations on campus if they would be willing to participate in the food drive. We were thrilled to have eight campus organizations participate in the Hanley Sustainability Institute’s first-ever food and hygiene drive. The participating organizations included Alpha Phi Omega, St. Vincent De Paul Volunteer Group, Med Life, River Stewards, UDoes, Dayton Civic Scholars, Student Government Association and Catholic Life. In addition to these groups, we also placed a drop-off bin in HSI, allowing anyone in the campus community to contribute.
The collection began in mid-November, with donation boxes distributed across participating organizations, and concluded in early December when we collected the filled boxes. Their collective efforts made a tremendous impact, helping us gather 289 donated items, weighing a total of 189 pounds.
This turnout was especially meaningful because it marked the first food drive coordinated by HSI. Seeing so many groups come together for a common cause highlighted the strength of our campus community and the shared commitment to supporting those in need. The drive also gave us valuable experience in organizing a large-scale initiative, from coordinating logistics to encouraging participation across different organizations.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed, whether through their organization or individually. The success of this drive has inspired us to continue our efforts, and we plan to coordinate another drive this semester, with even more opportunities for students and organizations to get involved. Our goal is to establish this as an ongoing program that not only provides essential items but also creates collaboration and service across campus.