April is often the cruelest month for college undergraduates. Research papers are due, final exams are fast approaching, and the glint of summer vacation can be seen just over the horizon. For moving companies, April represents the last to chance to make preparations for the upcoming busy season.
Despite these demanding personal obligations, a student organization at Wright State University's Lake Campus and Celina Moving & Storage, an Atlas agent, made time to host a food drive and fight hunger in Ohio.
Beginning April 18, Circle K, a student-led group that promotes leadership, service, and outreach in the local community, collected non-perishable food at locations across campus.
Katelynn Kraner, a member of Circle K who also works at Celina Moving, helped to coordinate the event.
"Community service has always been an important aspect in my life that I try to keep at the forefront of all things I do," Kraner said. "Most of the members in our club are future teachers, so kids are always a huge priority for us. Through my association with Celina Moving, I knew about the C.A.L.L. Food Pantry and all the amazing work they do. When I proposed the idea to help them out, we all thought it fit our group perfectly. We've seen firsthand the affects of children not having enough food at home in the classrooms of schools we teach in."
Circle K also placed bins inside residence halls and urged their fellow students to donate any unused, unwanted food
as they were moving out of their dorms at the end of the month.
"Many students donated canned goods as they were packing to leave housing and several faculty members teamed up to donate items on campus," said Kraner. "The support that the college students and faculty members exhibited was so much more than expected!"
"It was really great to see students donating items as they packed up," said VeraKaye Sowers, a Lake Campus housing Resident Advisor and Circle K member. "We even had a whole apartment donate non-perishables because they got left behind by other roommates. I was very happy with how much we were able to donate and hope it helps out many people in our community."
In addition to picking up the donations from Wright State, Celina Moving & Storage also held a food drive at its offices. Their collaboration resulted in 820 pounds of food - an estimated 683 meals - being delivered to the C.A.L.L. Food & Clothing Pantry!
"When Celina Moving dropped off the items, it was amazing just to be able to speak with the employees and some of the recipients of the benefits at the pantry," Kraner said. "The appreciation was overwhelming. Celina Moving and Circle K are excited to continue helping the local community as much as we can!"
Nearly 2 million people in Ohio suffer from food insecurity, including 1 in 5 children. THANK YOU Circle K and Celina Moving & Storage for recognizing the problem and taking action!
Move For Hunger and our network of socially-responsible relocation companies can help YOU make a difference in YOUR community. Click here to find out how to get started today!
