A hamper of help for the holidays
Durham College's annual Campus Holiday Food Drive looks to aid the families of DC/UOIT students
Last year’s Campus Holiday Food Drive saw 274 students helped out with hampers of food and more than 300 toys provided to children of Durham College and UOIT students. Students were also able to raise $45,000.
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
It’s an annual tradition, and this year, the need seems to be larger than ever.
At Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the Campus Holiday Food Drive helps to put food on the table and toys under the trees of those students who may need a helping hand.
And every year, the need continues to grow.
According to Brad MacIsaac, UOIT’s registrar and assistant vice-president of planning and analysis, as well as an organizer with the Campus Holiday Food Drive, the annual event saw a 60 per cent increase in students signed up last year.
In total, the program helped out 274 students with hampers of food and provided more than 300 toys to children of Durham College or UOIT students while raising $45,000. However, this still was not enough to meet the demand.
For MacIsaac, it’s not just one thing that is causing the growing demand.
“I do believe that it is a combination of factors,” he says, noting the two campuses diverse populations and the increase in enrolments at both schools. The fact that the annual event is starting to garner more attention could also be a contributing factor to more students getting involved.
The campuses of UOIT and Durham College are not alone. A recent report from Food Banks Canada shows that food bank usage across the country is on the rise, and more than a third of users are children and youth.
For this year’s drive, organizers are hoping to surpass the $50,000 threshold in donations to assist with the higher numbers in need. And it would appear the campuses are on board, as the drive’s first initiative, a Toonie Toll collecting student and faculty’s loose change, raised more than $2,500 in a matter of hours.
“It’s not just about getting the food into the students hands, but it’s also about bringing together and creating a greater sense of community and helping those that are around us,” MacIsaac says.
Pointsetta and candy cane sales are also now underway and can be purchased on campus at the university’s U5 Building, Room 68, cashier’s desk.
For those students looking to sign up, the deadline for registration is Dec. 9 and can be completed by visiting the financial aid and awards office at the Oshawa or Whitby campus.