Each year in March, faculty, students, and staff at Ross Medical Education Center campus in Charleston spend the month collecting non-perishable food items for a local shelter. Each student, staff member, and faculty member brings in items and encourages their friends and family to become involved as well. This year, over 100 items were collected during the course of the drive. The campus decided that all of the collected items for this year’s drive would be donated to Covenant House, a local charity that helps people meet their basic needs by providing food, clothing, and shelter.
Covenant House, founded in March of 1981, was established to be a safe location during times of crisis. Still now, over 30 years later, their mission is the same and their impact on their community only continues to grow. From the beginning, Covenant House housed a food pantry and clothing closet, and they worked hard to maintain an emergency assistance fund. Since that time, they have partnered with many other like-minded organizations to make a greater impact. In the early 2000s, they were able to move into a new building, completely debt free and therefore about to continue their mission “to work for justice by offering direct services for people in need while creating social change through advocacy and education.” (http://wvcovenanthouse.org)
Cynthia Tawney, Charleston’s Campus Director, was very supportive of the food drive, “it’s important for students to recognize the necessity to give back to their community,” she stated. “By donating food, they are helping men, women, and children all over the Charleston area. I want to thank all of our students for their great participation in this years event.” This is just one of the many community events that the campus will be involved in this year, and they look forward to supporting their neighbors in need.
If you are interested in learning more about Covenant House and how you can help, visit their Facebook page or their website at http://wvcovenanthouse.org.