Late this last fall, the Ross Medical Education Center campus in Erlanger, Kentucky collected and donated cans of corn for the local non-profit food pantry, Be Concerned. The donated cans going to the local food pantry will contribute to helping over 800 families in the surrounding community. “Our students help make this food drive a success and help to show how the Ross family cares and gives back to our community,” said Stephanie Horton, Office Assistant.
Food pantry Be Concerned originally opened and began serving the community in 1968 as an organization run entirely by volunteers. Their original goal was to help low income families in their region to celebrate holidays as well as work to maintain financial stability throughout the rest of the year. Since that time, they have been able to stay open and operating thanks mainly to the hard work of volunteers and the support that they provide to the day to day operations. This organization has grown over the years and now helps nearly 1,000 low-income families in the local community to obtain the basic necessities for life on a monthly basis.
In the Ross Erlanger drive leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, they collected cans to help these families celebrate. Every one of the donated cans went to Be Concerned to help supply items for Thanksgiving dinner for these families. Be Concerned asked that the campus collect just one type of non-perishable item, making it easier to sort and distribute once all donations had been collected. “The students, faculty and staff at our campus went above and beyond to help those who are struggling this holiday season,” shared Campus Director Angela McNutt. “Our students helped to make this food drive a success by embracing one of Ross’ core values, social responsibility, and helping to feed those in need.”