Our Fort Wayne campus has been busy this Thanksgiving season collecting shopping bags for the Indiana Manpower Placement and Comprehensive Training (IMPACT) program. IMPACT is an employment training program designed to assist people who have applied for or are receiving help from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The goal of IMPACT is to help those receiving public assistance achieve self-sufficiency as part of Indiana’s welfare reform initiative. This organization assists qualifying individuals with their job search, job readiness, unsubsidized employment, community work experience, and academic pursuits.
The Fort Wayne campus first got connected with Tom Dyer, IMPACT Supervisor, when Nina Thierer (morning MA instructor) reached out and asked how we could help the community this holiday season. Mr. Dyer suggested that our students could help by collecting plastic shopping bags. His employees and volunteers will later recycle them and donate them to the Love In Deed Sharehouse, an organization distributes donations to various nonprofit organizations. These bags will be used as toiletry or garment bags for those in need. IMPACT uses the bags to make mats for the homeless in the area. Also in Fort Wayne, Pathway Community Church has a homeless outreach program that takes the mats for displaced people to sleep on or use as blankets.
Our Fort Wayne campus has already collected so many bags that IMPACT has had to make a trip to take the first load of bags away. They have continued collecting bags and the barrel is overflowing again! This has been an awesome way to get involved in the community and to reach out to those who need extra help and support this holiday season. We’re so proud of our Ross family for, once again, showing its heart to the community!