NORWICH – Student members of the Human Services Organization at the SUNY Morrisville Norwich campus were out in full force this week to collect food items from city residents for the pantry at Chenango County Roots and Wings.
Students took to the streets of Norwich over the weekend, hanging plastic bags (courtesy of the Sherburne Big M) on the front doors of residents all over the city. Each bag was accompanied by a note bidding the support of the community, and requested donations of non-perishable food items and other necessities for Roots and Wings. On Sunday, HSO members hit the streets again, this time collecting full bags resting at the thresholds of peoples’ homes.
Fred Weaver, professor of humanities and social science at the university, oversees the Human Services Organization and its annual food drive, now four years strong. According to him, charity this year was staggering as students collected more than 1,600 pounds of food – much more than what’s been collected in previous years, he explained. “A lot of people know that Roots and Wings always has a need,” he said, citing some donations that far exceeded expectations. “This was such a positive experience for the students. Some of these students will go on to work or even manage agencies where these kinds of strategies can be used.”
This year in particular was a big needs year for Roots and Wings, Weaver noted. In August, the Chenango County United Way, which advocates for funding on behalf of area food pantries including Roots and Wings, was denied funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency – funding many local pantries rely on every year. The cuts in funding means many local pantries are in desperate need of donations, and some of them are even facing the possibility of closing more often throughout the season.
“I think that people realize that there really is a need and that food does go to Roots and Wings,” said Weaver. “This has also made students think more positively of community members and being more active in the community.”
Roots and Wings Director Melinda Mandeville explained that the HSO food drive is one of the biggest donations the agency receives all year. “They work very hard with an already busy schedule and we so appreciate it,” she said. “With donations like this, it really makes a big difference.”
Of course being the holiday season, Mandeville added, donations are coming in from individuals and private organizations from all over the county. Unison Industries contributed $300 to the agency for the purchase of food. Employees from the Raymond Corporation in Greene also chipped in, volunteering at food pantries throughout the county. The Norwich Family YMCA conducted a food drive earlier this month that brought in 319 pounds of food; the Broome Developmental Center donated 300 pounds; and Chobani recently joined forces with students and faculty at the Norwich Middle School and Perry Browne Elementary to bring in a monumental 2,076 pounds of food.
“We usually see more donations around Christmas time but it’s great to have them during Thanksgiving too,” said Mandeville. “People have really been concentrating on the holidays and we’re so grateful for it.”