The African American Organization (Afro-Am) is holding its 43rd annual Frances M. Banks Feed-A-Friend Drive on Nov. 18, to help families from Harrisburg to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.The African American Organization (Afro-Am) is holding its 43rd annual Frances M. Banks Feed-A-Friend Drive on Nov. 18, to help families from Harrisburg to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
Diane Jefferson, director of the office of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), said Afro-Am would be putting together baskets filled with turkey, stuffing, vegetables, rolls, drinks and dessert to families in need around the area.
Jefferson said Nick Iula, director of Shippensburg University dining services, was a big help in setting the food drive up this year. SU dining services also helped the food drive when it was first started in 1971.
The food drive was named after Banks, who worked under Shippensburg University President Gilmore Seavers. She came to the executive board of Afro-Am and asked if it would be willing to do a program for needy families around the area, according to Jefferson, who was also on the executive board at the time.
Kapri Brown, assistant director of MSA, said on Nov. 18, they will be packing behind Kriner Dining Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will then deliver the baskets. Afro-Am members will be delivering baskets to Pennsylvania cities such as Chambersburg, Harrisburg, Newville and Carlisle.
Brown said it makes more of an impact seeing the people one is donating to, rather than just giving money and walking away.
“Need doesn’t have a color,” Jefferson said, with tears in her eyes.
Along with dining services, Afro- Am works with Weis Markets to donate food, Jefferson said. Weis Markets works with Afro-Am to get as much food for the baskets as it can.
The best way to donate, Brown and Jefferson said, is to go to Big Red’s Snack Shack, or as some call it the C-Store, and purchase food. Then, once at the register, a student just has to tell the cashier that it is for the food-drive and the cashier will put it in a box to send to the MSA office.
Jefferson wants donations so they can send more baskets than last year, but admitted getting the word out was harder this semester with it being so busy.
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