This spring, the Ross Medical Education Center campus in Elyria, Ohio joined the rest of the Ross campuses in hosting a food drive. They decided to accomplish this by partnering with the local Second Harvest Food Bank. The Second Harvest Food Bank works hard in their area to provide the most basic necessities to the least fortunate in their community.
Second Harvest Food Bank is a regional nonprofit agency who is committed to fighting hunger in their community. By working together with a vast network to acquire, gather, and distribute nutritious food, Second Harvest helps feed tens of thousands of people throughout Crawford, Erie, Huron and Lorain counties. For every $1 donated they can provide four meals to those at risk for hunger. They connect people to fresh, healthy, and nutritious foods and work with local farms and retailers to provide fresh produce and meats to the families in need. Second Harvest realizes hunger is not a choice and that it affects every community. By supporting over 100 partner charities, sponsoring mobile pantries, joining farmer’s markets, and giving food–filled backpacks to hungry children at schools, they’re doing very much to reach those who need a nutritious meal every day.
During the drive, four events were hosted to encourage staff and students to donate to the cause. March 22 was Class Competition Day. After a fierce battle, the evening Dental Assistant class, which is actually the smallest class on campus, was the lucky winners of a pizza party after donating 168 items in one day! The next event the campus held was Peanut Butter Jelly Day. The campus provided sandwiches and fruit to recognize that not everyone in our community is fortunate enough to eat anything they want. The most fun they had was during the Cleveland Indians Home Opener Celebration where the students were able to wear their team shirts, play corn hole, and enjoy lunch together. The last event they hosted was a bake sale. Staff and faculty baked a variety of items such as coffee cake, lemon bars, and brownies, just to name a few. Each item was sold for $.50 and all money was given as a donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
In total, 362 pounds of food and $51.00 was collected! It is estimated that the Elyria campus was able to feed over 500 people right there in their community! What an accomplishment!