Recently, the Ross Medical Education Center campus in Port Huron, Michigan hosted a food drive as a part of the companywide March Food Drive! This year, the Ross Port Huron campus chose to donate the items collected at their location to the Blue Water Community Food Depot in Port Huron, Michigan, a local organization that provides groceries to individuals and families who are struggling to keep food on the table.
The Blue Water Community Food Depot, which is managed by the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, has been operating in St. Clair County for nearly forty years. They are completely staffed by volunteers, and are centrally located in Port Huron to provide easy access for those in need. Their shelves are stocked with non-perishable foods, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and paper products through the generous donations of community organizations. They are also the recipients of monetary donations which they use to purchase fresh groceries such as milk, bread, eggs, and cheese through a partnership with the Eastern Michigan Food Bank.
To become eligible to receive food from Blue Water Community Food Depot, clients must provide a voucher that they obtain from local social service agencies or churches, and they must provide identification for everyone listed on the voucher. A new voucher is required for each visit to the Food Depot. Qualified individuals and families may receive assistance every 75 days. The amount of groceries received is typically enough to sustain the family for 2 – 3 days.
A donation table was set up in the campus, and staff and students were eager to get started and begin filling the table with goods to be donated. During the drive, visitors to the campus were very inspired to participate in the campus’ collection efforts after seeing all the enthusiasm from the students going out of their way to support their community. Admissions Representative Kristy Jackson shared, “it’s so nice to know that we can help people in our community with our donations. The Blue Water Food Depot provides a way for us to give a helping hand to families who need one.” Through all of their hard work, the campus was able to collect over 300 items to help stock the shelves at the Food Depot, making the drive a great success for all those involved!
If you would like more information about the program at the Blue Water Community Food Depot, you can view their Facebook Page or call (810) 987-7886.