To give back to their local community, the Ross Medical Education Center Kentwood, Michigan campus identified the Little Free Pantry as the beneficiary of their “Christmas in July” giving campaign. By the end of their campaign, over 200 pounds of non-perishable food and goods were delivered to the Kentwood Community Center, operated by the City of Kentwood.
The Little Free Pantry is currently in just its second year of operation and was born out of the collaborative effort of nonprofit The Pantry and the City of Kentwood. However, even though it’s fairly new to the community, it is already making a large impact. One way that the pantry fills a need is by providing a space where anyone can give and anyone can take. That means there are no applications needed and no questions asked. Lorraine Beloncis, Assistant Director for the Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, was truly excited to see the donation. She shared with the campus that the shelves were beginning to look quite bare.
In fact it was a photo of the almost empty shelves at the Little Free Pantry that caught the eye of Ross Medical Education Center Kentwood’s Career Services Student Support Representative, Marsha Walker, who then brought it to the staff as a potential beneficiary of the project. She knew that the staff, faculty, and students at her campus would be moved to fill those shelves and help provide support for this organization and their neighbors.
Staff, faculty, and students responded generously throughout the month through their donations, and yet again Ross was able to have a positive impact on the lives of others. The campus staff was very proud of what they all came together to accomplish in their community. They are hoping that they are able to continue to help keep those shelves a little more full throughout the year and for years to come.