Learning Support Services hosts food drive to support campus food pantry

by Madison Ling, Staff Writer

The Learning Support Services is known for helping our student body with various areas of academia. Drop-in tutoring, peer editing, and workshops are only some of the resources the department provides. However, what many might not know is how far their assistance reaches in our Schoolcraft community beyond its academic walls.
The LSS food drive is currently underway in which the department is asking for food donations which will be donated to the Schoolcraft food pantry located in the Livonia and Radcliff campuses.
“We’ve been doing a canned food drive since fall 2016, and will continue to do so periodically throughout the year,” said LSS Coordinator Sharon Christian. “It started a little before Thanksgiving in 2016. I had recently learned about the on-campus food pantry and decided to create an opportunity for our student leaders to get involved and to give back to the community.”
As the Learning Support Service and Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Coordinator, Christian initiates each of the food drives and instigates friendly competition between the different student employee groups (PAL, writing support, etc.) to collect as many items as possible. When asked about their goals for the event Christian commented, “The overall target goal was 500 items collectively. We’ve reached our goal twice so far.”
Students are encouraged to donate an array of canned or non-perishable items, such as peanut butter, tuna, and instant meals from March 11 through April 8. All proceeds will go to the Food Pantries located on the Livonia and Radcliff campuses.
Beyond giving food items, students can donate gently-used clothing that will be donated to St. Leo’s in Detroit. All of the food and clothing will benefit the student body of Schoolcraft College and beyond.
“The student employees of Learning Support Services every semester demonstrates their compassion for their peers by donating to the Schoolcraft College pantry, which I believe is an important thing to note,” said Christian. “Students are taking initiative and actively getting involved to make a difference in student lives.” Christian continued by saying, “This food drive gives students a chance to positively impact the campus community. The most inspiring part of volunteering is knowing that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.”
For those interested in helping, donations will be accepted in various LSS offices. Student employees are instructed to drop off their contributions to their program supervisor’s office. can Contact Sharon Christian for additional inquiries and information at [email protected].