Mount Saint Mary College student volunteers pack up donations during the college’s annual Thanksgiving food drive on Monday, November 25.
Mount Saint Mary College students donated about $1,700 worth of food on Monday, November 25, helping to feed local people in need this Thanksgiving.
Mount students, faculty, and staff collected and delivered the food to Newburgh’s Loaves and Fishes program for distribution to local families. The initiative was spearheaded by the college’s Campus Ministry.
Through a “coin war” wherein each undergraduate class worked to collect as many donations as possible, the Mount community amassed $1,228 over five days. Student volunteers used the money to purchase food for donation, in addition to items collected on campus over the last few weeks.
Fr. Gregoire Fluet, director of Campus Ministry and Mount chaplain, thanked the Mount community for their generosity.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve all done,” he said. “This shows us what Mount Saint Mary College is about: People coming together to do good. We were told that this donation will help between 800 to 1,000 families this Thanksgiving.”
In addition to the food drive, the Mount’s Campus Ministry recently began collecting toys to be donated to local people in need. Last year, the annual “Giving Tree” event collected and distributed hundreds of gifts for the children of Newburgh. Mount students are hoping to donate just as many this holiday season.