Liberty Dining stands united in local initiatives for breast cancer awareness, holiday food drive

Every Friday in October, employees with Liberty University Dining and Sodexo, Liberty’s dining services provider, joined together in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month by donning pink chef’s coats. Led by Campus Chef Perry Ford, the staff showed their support for survivors and fostered meaningful conversations with guests as they served up meals at the Reber-Thomas Dining Center.

Ford, who said he’s wanted to do the pink coat initiative for a while, was inspired by seeing sports teams show their support for breast cancer awareness by wearing pink equipment or accessories.

“That made me think, as a chef what can I do to show that we care about and support those who are survivors?” he said. “I didn’t want to just go with the traditional pink ribbon pins like so many others do; I wanted to do something different and meaningful. That’s when I thought about how Sodexo honors its (staff who are) veterans (by wearing) red coats on Fridays, and I realized, why couldn’t we represent our cancer survivors with pink coats?”

Several dining staff members are breast cancer survivors, and Ford said the initiative was about “honoring their strength and resilience.”

“Wearing the pink coats gave us a visible and meaningful way to show our support not just during Breast Cancer Awareness Month but as a reminder year-round that we stand with them,” he said. “It created a sense of unity and pride within our team and sparked conversations with guests and colleagues about the importance of awareness, early detection, and support for those currently fighting. For the survivors on our team, it meant a lot to see their journeys recognized in such a personal way.”

Ford said in future years, he hopes to create personalized pink coats that would allow the survivors to share their story proudly.

He said the workers received an “overwhelming” reaction from students, faculty, and staff, many who stopped by and shared their own stories related to breast cancer, whether they had lost a loved one, had a loved one currently fighting a cancer battle, or were survivors themselves.

“Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest impact. Wearing pink might seem simple, but for us, it became a symbol of unity, compassion, and strength,” Ford said. “It reminded everyone that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves — that when we come together for a cause, we can make people feel seen, supported, and valued. Seeing the whole team and even members of the campus community wearing pink created this amazing sense of togetherness. It showed that kindness and awareness can start with just one small gesture and still make a world of difference.”

Liberty Dining connects with the local community in many ways throughout the year, including hosting a holiday food drive. Since Oct. 24 and running through Nov. 18, Liberty Dining is collecting nonperishable food items to benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, a vital organization that distributes donations to hundreds of partner agencies throughout the Blue Ridge area, including Lynchburg. This year, the goal is to collect 2,000 pounds of food. Once all donations are weighed, Sodexo will match up to $2,000 in contributions to multiply the impact.

Items can be dropped off at the Reber-Thomas Dining Center, Jerry Falwell Library, College of Applied Studies & Academic Success office (DeMoss Hall 1100), and the lobby outside the LaHaye Recreation and Fitness Center (click here to view the list of most needed items).

With Thanksgiving around the corner, Sodexo Marketing Manager Shelby Stidham said the donations will bless many families.

“Participating in the food drive is a tangible way to show the Lynchburg community the love of Jesus Christ while making a positive impact,” Stidham said. “The drive directly supports local families and individuals who might otherwise go without food, and being able to provide them with meals in time for a holiday centered around gathering is a beautiful act of intentional love and kindness. Most students are only here for a few years, so my hope is that during their time at Liberty, they’ll take the opportunity to give back to the city they grow to love.”