Mount Saint Mary College students recently gave the local community more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.
The Mount’s Hands and Hearts club (sponsored by Campus Ministry) and the college’s Student Nursing Association hosted a Thanksgiving food drive that culminated on Saturday, November 19. That day, the students transported the proceeds to the Deacon Jack Seymour food pantry, a ministry of St. Francis of Assisi Church and Sacred Heart Church that provides emergency food assistance for needy families of all faiths in the Newburgh area. There, more than a dozen Mount volunteers sorted the food for families in need. The effort also benefited from the Mount’s Education Department, which had collected food to donate to the cause as well.
Two days later, on Monday, November 21, volunteers from the Hands and Hearts club teamed up with the Mount’s Student Business Association (SBA) to collect turkeys donated by various members of the Mount community as they pulled into the college. The event was spearheaded by Scott Russell, assistant professor of Sports Management, and Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Campus Ministry director and college chaplain.
In addition to the students, Russell and Fr. Greg were stationed at the Mount’s main entrance. Mount community members simply handed their donation to one of the waiting volunteers without even having to exit their vehicle.
The turkeys collected that morning – totaling nearly three dozen – were given to the Newburgh Ministry and the Kaplan Family Center of Newburgh.