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Volunteers from Allegheny College’s Civic Engagement Office collected food and other supplies from 37 households in the Meadville area on Dec. 10 to help local food pantries supply families in need with non-perishable goods during the holiday season.

The socially distant front-door food drive, which collected enough food and other supplies to fill a room, was completed mostly by office staff but included two spouses of employees, said Bethany Ozorak, the Davies & Fahrner assistant director for community-based projects at Allegheny. Items donated included peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, canned meat, fruit cups, protein/cereal bars, coffee, Bisquick, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and other non-perishable items. Two donors made monetary donations to the food drive, she said.

“It was a great success,” Ozorak said. “The Civic Engagement Office’s goal is to forge connections not only between the college and local nonprofits but to assist those nonprofits in their missions overall. Many have faced significant challenges this year, and we knew that community members wanted to assist in a safe manner. It was fulfilling for us to witness the generosity of everyone involved.”

All the donations were sorted and given to the Center For Family Services, United Faith Fellowship, the Soup Kitchen, and the Crawford County Mental Health Awareness Program. “The Front Door Food Drive would not have been such a success without the wonderful contributions from Meadville community members and Allegheny faculty, staff, and their families,” said Ozorak.