University of Notre Dame students, faculty, staff and alumni raised $5,000 and collected some 1,200 pounds of non-perishable food items in their annualOne Can Make a Differencefood drive to benefit the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.
University officials presented a check to Bill Carnegie, outgoing president and chief executive officer of the food bank, last month at the Eck Notre Dame VisitorsCenter.
“For every $500 raised, the food bank can support the delivery of 35,000 pounds of donated food,” said Sean OBrien, director of Alumni Community Service. “The timing of this donation is profoundly significant since the food bank has suffered serious depletions from hurricane relief efforts.”
Sponsored by the Notre Dame Alumni Association, the food drive was supported by 27 University departments, including Food Services, which collected donations at all campus eateries.In the past three years, the program has raised more than $18,000.
In other community service initiatives:
- The Alumni Association currently is supporting Habitat for Humanity as it helps a family that lost its home inBon Weir,Texas, to Hurricane Rita.Volunteers working inside the University Park Mall inMishawakaare constructing walls for a new home, and later this month, after the panels have been shipped to Bon Weir, alumni will be on-site to help erect the new home.
- In a combined effort by the Alumni Association and Notre Dames Center for Social Concerns, 10 students and a dozen alumni fromNew Orleanswill spend Jan. 8 to 13 providing clean-up for the elderly whose homes were severely damaged by Katrina.
- More than 50 alumni clubs nationwide participated in the Alumni Associations annual Notre Dame Day of Service on Oct. 22, which, due to the overwhelming response in support of Katrina relief efforts, was expanded to each Saturday during Irish home football games.Several participating clubs represented the second annual ToroMow for a Causeprogram, in which members utilized products provided by Toro to help clean up the properties of selected charity organizations.
* Contact: * _Sean OBrien, director, Alumni Community Service, 574-631-6723, sobrien3@nd.edu _
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