A Syracuse University food drive is helping to ensure families in Syracuse won’t have to worry about a holiday meal.

The SU Office of Engagement Programs is hosting its annual food drive, which ends Friday. The drive began about a month ago, said Laura Villers, a graduate assistant and first year masters student studying higher education and administration. So far, coordinators and organizers say the process has been very slow.

Syeisha Byrd, director of the Office of Engagement Programs, said the office currently has filled two bags of food. Her goal is to get to 50, which is below previous totals of 62 and 72. In addition to donating, students can get involved by helping pack bags on Friday.

This year, the charities receiving the bags of food are Catholic Charities of Onondaga County and the Huntington Family Center. In previous years, the Boys and Girls Club of Syracuse, as well as the Faith Hope Community Center have received donated food.

Villers and Byrd offered possible reasons why this year’s food drive is lagging behind past years up to this point. Byrd said students tend to wait until the last minute to get involved, while Villers said November is a stressful time for students and that stress is what might be causing the lackluster results so far.

“We’re all sort of caught up. When we slow down, people will remember there’s a world outside of our campus,” she said.

The marketing team has advertised the drive, but Byrd also said that by pushing the message more, maybe the results would not be so low.

Byrd said the food drive and packing party, as she called it, is not only about donating food and time, but meeting other students, staff and faculty who are passionate about community service as well.

“It builds new relationships among people who don’t know each other,” she said.

Byrd asks that students try to bring Thanksgiving-themed foods in or, at the very least, fresh foods because many of the people getting the bags do not have access to fresh food or any food at all. She recommended boxes of stuffing or mashed potatoes, canned goods, corn, green beans, potatoes, apples, gravy or even Bisquick. There are donation bins inside Hendricks Chapel and students can bring in food until 10 p.m. Friday.

Villers added the drive serves as “a great funnel to get great students we might not have interacted with.”

“There are pathways to get involved, chances to kick off a life of service,” she said.

As for the food drive, Byrd and Villers both remain hopeful and confident that donations will pick up. Thanksgiving is a time for family and food, Byrd said.

“Food always brings people together. It’s a time to be with families,” she said. “Students should see a benefit in helping other families that don’t have as much as they do.”

Published on November 20, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Danny: dmantoot@syr.edu