Food drive aids VA

Liberty University will be joining with Sodexo and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to make an impact in their community by holding a Thanksgiving food drive during the month of November.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Liberty University to give back to the community,” senior women’s ministry major Ericka Fuller said. “We are blessed to be at this university and to have the chance to help provide a beautiful Thanksgiving for less fortunate families. I’m optimistic that this year, with more students, we can donate even more than last year.”

The Liberty community donated 672 pounds of food in 2011. This year, the goal is to collect 2,000 pounds. All food collected during the drive will be used to meet the needs of local residents of the following counties that are part of the Southside Virginia Tobacco Commission Counties: Bedford, Campbell, Appomattox and Buckingham.

Darren Wu, Christian service coordinator and assistant professor at Liberty, helps coordinate the drive. According to him, Liberty got involved in the food drive last year and partnered with Sodexo as an effort to help the Southside Tobacco Commission Counties.

“This food drive is important because times are tough right now for many families,” Wu said. “For those of us that are fortunate enough to have been blessed by the Lord sufficiently, we should be moved enough with compassion to help others out that really need it.”

Wu also said that the food drive arose as a way for Liberty to obey biblical commands to meet the needs of others, love your neighbor and be good witnesses.

“What I love about Liberty is how much they reach out to the community,” senior Janae Stracke said. “Donating food to the Thanksgiving food drive is a perfect way for students to help out.”

Students can donate various food items at convocation Tuesday, Nov. 14, and faculty and staff can donate at the Thomas Road Baptist Church sanctuary the same day.

Students have been able to drop off early donations in the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall since Oct. 22, and the Student Government Association at Liberty has also helped collect food for the drive.

“It’s great being at a university that does things like this around the holidays for the community, especially (during) Thanksgiving,” Liberty sophomore Samantha Ficco said. “It’s a time to be thankful for what we have, and to be able to give families something to be thankful for is a great witnessing opportunity.”

Some of the non-perishable items that can be donated are: apple sauce, coffee or tea, canned soup crackers, desserts such as pudding mix or Jello, sugar, beef or chicken canned stew, fruit juice or drinks, canned salmon or tuna fish, baby food, tuna or hamburger helper, pancake syrup, macaroni and cheese, cereal, white or brown rice, powdered milk, canned fruit or vegetables, pasta and pasta sauce, canned meat, pancake mix, bisquick, mustard, mayo, catsup, peanut butter, paper products, cleaning supplies and hygiene items.