UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 33, Page 2
May 27, 1993
Student donations to Delaware Food Bank help feed needy

     Approximately $1,600 in food will be donated to the Delaware Food Bank
to feed the needy as the result of donations by University students.
     In April, several members of Gamma Sigma Sigma service sorority began
organizing a program, in cooperation with Dining Services, which would
enable students with remaining Dining Services points on their campus meal
plans to donate them to the Delaware Food Bank.
     During two days in mid-May, 95 students participated in this program
for the needy.
     The first-ever program was the result of close cooperation among
students and members of the Dining Services administration. Fortunately,
the University had already been working on the organizational details of
the project as the result of a parent's letter to President David P.
Roselle a year earlier. When the sorority was looking for a way to help the
food bank, the points redemption program was suggested.
     Ellen Bennett, a junior human resources major from Denver, said the
100-member sorority had worked with Delaware Food Bank throughout the year,
collecting and sorting food each week. It also had sponsored a number of
food packing contests at the agency involving volunteer personnel.
     The food bank, Bennett explained, relies on contributions from
supermarkets and food stores, which donate dented canned goods and overages
to the agency. The money given by the University's students will be
extremely helpful, since it will allow the food bank to purchase specific
items that are in short supply.
     Randle Clay, director of Dining Services, said the University has
arranged with its food supplier, Wood Haven Food Distribution, to deliver
to Delaware Food Bank $1,600 worth of supplies that the agency selects.
     Clay explained that the arrangement with the students specified that
the food cost portion of their points would be applied to the food bank.
The other administrative costs, such as salaries and preparation, would not
apply for donation purposes.
     Clay said he was pleased with the response and thought the cooperation
with the sorority was excellent. He was very pleased that the donation was
student organized and successful.
     Bennett agreed, saying she was very satisfied with the amount of money
raised. More importantly, she was excited seeing fellow students who were
willing to volunteer their time to organize the program and donate their
excess food points.
     In addition to the food bank gaining much needed supplies, she said
she believes the students gained personally from the experience as well. "I
think they were satisfied knowing they did something good," she said, "that
they did a good deed."
     Next year, Bennett added, the sorority will begin working earlier for
a similar program. Based on this year's response, with limited planning,
next year's food point collection drive will be even better, she said.
                                        -Ed Okonowicz