GREENVILLE, Pa.-- First-year students and their peers, mentors and advisors at Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, collected more than 3,000 pounds of food during the College’s inaugural food drive.
“We exceeded our goal of 2,500 pounds and have set the stage for an annual tradition that will connect our first-year students with the region and create a sense of belonging both on campus and in the community,” Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Elizabeth Frombgen, Ph.D., said. “Many of our first-year students have been to campus before, but this was an opportunity for them to explore the area around campus and think about their place in the larger ecosystem.”
In 2015, 12.8 percent of Mercer County residents and 19.5 percent of children faced food insecurity, according to Feeding America, a national non-profit hunger relief organization. During the College’s Welcome Week students dropped bags off at area homes throughout the Greenville community with a list of suggested non-perishable items for the collection. Students returned a couple days later to collect the filled bags. The students sorted the food then delivered it to the Good Shepherd Food Pantry in Greenville.
The food drive is part of the First-Year Experience program, which 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.