Building on success of its first year, Thiel College food drive adds Salvation Army as a recipient

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- In its second year, Thiel College’s community service project for new students will expand to include the Salvation Army as a recipient for its food drive.

In its first year, the project collected 3,000 pounds of food for the Good Shepherd Food Pantry in Greenville. The program puts first-year students, faculty advisors and peer mentors from Thiel College in the community to collect non-perishable food items.

This year, donations will be sorted, split and given to the Good Shepherd Food Pantry and the Salvation Army in Greenville. In 2017, about 13 percent of Mercer County residents and 4,400 children struggled with food insecurity, according to Feeding America, a national non-profit hunger relief organization.

“The service-learning food drive is designed as a way to create a connection between Thiel students and the community,” said Associate Academic Dean for Student Success Greg Q. Butcher, Ph.D. “Thiel’s goal is to graduate students who can be professional, civic and community leaders.”

Donation bags will be dropped off at homes throughout the Greenville community from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25 with a list of suggested non-perishable items for collection. Students will return to those homes to collect the filled bags from 6:30–8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27.

The First-Year Experience program ensures student success through a thoughtful and deliberate series of activities, events, academic advising, orientation and a first-year seminar class. While engaging in a series of activities, students explore the college experience where studies, interactions, and residential and social experiences come together to challenge how they think and to communicate differently and collaboratively as a member of a diverse community.

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