Around Indiana Wesleyan University, students have been donating food, toiletries and clothing in an effort to support less fortunate families during the holiday season.
The drives are organized in collaboration with Love Does in Action, Reclaimed Radiance and IGNITE.
Resident director Jeremy Gross explained how “Love Does,” an organization focused on giving back to the less fortunate, would be donating all non-perishable food items to the rescue mission after the drive.
“They’re heading up the food drive to then deliver the food pre-Thanksgiving, and then again later in December once finals happen.” Gross said.
Along with the food drive, students have also been able to donate any unused clothes that they own through Reclaimed Radiance, a small business that restores and resells used clothes.
In Hodson Hall, students were encouraged to participated during the “Man of the Tau” event.
“A couple of ways that you could complete tasks for the event was by donating some items to the food drive, and we also had a clothing drive going on at the same time,” Caedmon Foster, a resident assistant in Hodson, said. “It’s going to a great cause, and a lot of people participate—it’s super cool to see people in Hodson giving back to the community like this.”
Other students seemed to share Foster’s enthusiasm. Hodson resident Dallas Leavitt, a participant in the “Man of the Tau” event, donated several clothing items to the drive.
“Yeah, we (Hodson) had a clothing drive going on in the lobby,” Leavitt said. “I had some extra shirts that I wasn’t going to use, so I donated those.”
In addition to food and clothing, the IWU student organization IGNITE—which supports Peyton Manning Children’s hospital by raising funds and awareness—is collecting toiletries for families with children who are currently receiving care. Items such as deodorant, toothpaste, hair ties, and razors will all be donated to the hospital after the drive ends.
Boxes to donate to the various drives are located in the lobbies of several dorms on campus. While both the food and clothing drives have ended, donations for the toiletry drive will be accepted until Dec. 1.
