Thiel College food drive looks to break record and bring total to 10 tons of food collected

GREENVILLE, Pa.—On Sunday, August 21, first-year students at Thiel College will be holding the fourth annual community food drive in the morning to benefit Greenville’s Good Shepherd and Salvation Army food pantries.

As a service-learning project, the new students will spend their first weekend in Greenville placing bags on porches to collect food for those in need with the goal of collecting more than 6,000 pounds of non-perishable food. On Tuesday morning, August 23, the same students will go back to pick up the bags of food from community members who wish to participate. Combined, Thiel College students have collected nearly 14,000 pounds of food for the community since the first collection in 2018. If they top their goal, students will have collected 20,000 pounds of food.

Food banks have reported an average increase in demand of 65% according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and nearly 1 in 5 children in Mercer County experience food insecurity, according to FeedingAmerica.org. Rural communities make up 63% of counties in the United States and 91% of counties with the highest rates of overall food insecurity, according to data from FeedingAmerica.org.

The Good Shepherd and Salvation Army food pantries are looking for nonperishable food items such as canned foods and dry goods.

Related Links

• First-year Experience
• Academic Affairs

Related Stories

• Thiel College first-year students, faculty and staff members team to collect three tons of food
• Incoming Thiel College students leading third annual food drive for Greenville community
• Thiel College drive collects two-plus tons of food to top goal and last year’s total
• Building on success of its first year, Thiel College food drive adds Salvation Army as a recipient
• Thiel College food drive yields more than 3,000 pounds of donations for Good Shepherd
• About 275 Thiel College first-year students and mentors participating in inaugural food drive

Office of Admission

• Request information about Thiel College
• Schedule a visit
• Apply

About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.