It is that time of year again…
Our 4th annual Champlain College CAP (community awareness project) Food Drive is currently underway. There are boxes in Freeman 200, IDX, Skiff, Lakeside, as well as various dorms.
We (EHS students and profs) will be headed to the Northeast Kingdom area of our wonderful state again this year. Our first trip will be to the prison (Psych and Legal Studies) on November 3rd. Our second trip will be to the NEK for a full day of professionally run forums and interactive workshops (Psych and Social Work) on November 12th.
Professionals from the various career-areas within the human services field speak to our students, sharing with them what it is like being on the front lines of such a socioeconomically compromised area.
As the main focus is on poverty awareness, the afternoon also offers outreach opportunities for our students including the Newport Food shelf, Thrift Store, and Cornucopia-a program for female survivors of domestic abuse.
The other choices include interactive workshops on working with trauma in the NEK, Addictions counselors, Private Practice Clinicians, DCF, Detective for Domestic and Child Abuse, Restorative Justice, The Principal of Turning Points-an alternative school for children and teens with emotional and behavioral issues, a Vet speaking about PTSD (he was a show-stopper last year…), as well as a friend of mine who runs two half-ways houses, one for male murders and the other for male sex offenders, just to name a few.
This experience has enriched our students’ experience at Champlain College and for many has actually been life changing.
The Food Drive is our way to give back to this wonderfully generous community that has embraced our students with open arms.
Also, I finally got smart last year and ceased to involve myself. The food drive is now entirely student-run and last year was our most successful year ever…
The folks over there were so grateful for what we were able to do and our hopes are that we can continue to strengthen this wonderful bridge between our two communities.
Any support is welcome. I also asked the food shelf what they needed and she of course hesitated as they are grateful for anything. I was finally able to wiggle some info out of her and this is that they rarely have kids’ snacks donated such as fruit snacks, power bars, etc. They would also be tremendously grateful for personal hygiene products, as food stamps do not cover things like soap and toothpaste.
We will be collecting food/hygiene items now through Thursday, October 29th and then bringing them with us on the bus.
Thank you in advance for your continued generosity and support! It is all very much appreciated!
Best,
Kimberly Quinn
EHS – Psychology