HFD partners with Domino’s for safety promotion
October 9, 2012Our view: We have met the enemy … and he is us
October 9, 2012The second, semi-annual Nicholls CAN! food drive will collect non-perishable food and cash donations from now until Oct.15 to help local families preparing for the upcoming holidays.
“We are excited to have several supportive businesses in Houma joining us and to coordinate with Homecoming by offering drop-off points for those coming to activities,” said Jean Donegan, Nicholls CAN! committee member and head of the Department of Art. “This drive is unique in that it involves the whole Nicholls community — there’s a collection box in every single campus building and a volunteer from every department. We hope that Nicholls CAN! will become a part of our culture and as familiar to the community as Crawfish Day or Family Day.”
Drop off boxes are located at the following Thibodaux locations: Capital One Bank’s West 2nd Street branch, Bubba’s II, Sidney George Jewelers, Johnny’s Men Shop, Dr. Jason Ray’s office, Chamber of Commerce, Carrot Patch, Synergy Bank’s East Bayou Road branch, Donegan, Bartell and Henry’s office, The Beadhive, Queeny’s Boutique, Looks Good Beauty Salon, Raising Cane’s and Jones Insurance Services. Boxes are also located the following locations in Houma: Jo and Grace Ladies Apparel, Shoe Fits, South Louisiana Bank’s West Tunnel Boulevard location, Houma-Thibodaux Spine and Rehab and Dr. Jake Eric Bordelon’s office.
“These businesses are doing us a big favor,” Donegan said.
Businesses that would like to have a drop box can call Donegan at (985) 448-4597 or Debbie Raziano, director of alumni affairs, at (985) 448-4111.
In addition to these businesses, drop boxes have also been placed in each building on the university’s campus.
All donations will be divided amongst the Dulac Community Center, Morgan City Outreach and the Food Bank of Terrebonne Churches organizations.
“We will also be taking donations of toilet paper, shampoo, tissue, soap, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, washing powder, sanitary napkins and cleaning supplies,” Donegan said. “These items cannot be purchased with food stamps.”.
The March Nicholls CAN! Drive, which collected more than 6,500 items and more than $3,300 in monetary donations, benefited food banks in Thibodaux, Raceland and Galliano. The drive will rotate its donations amongst these banks and the current banks for each event. The university hopes to collect 7,000 items – one for each Nicholls student and employee – during this month’s drive.
As of 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that 17.4 million families were food insecure.
“Our supplies are stable right now,” said Food Bank of Terrebonne Churches manger Raymond Pitre. “We have a little more stock right now because we just received a grant, but supplies come in fast and go out fast.”
Currently, the food bank, which helps about 125 to 150 families each month, needs items such as boxed rice, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly.
Over at Morgan City Outreach, more than 1,000 families will visit the food back in the coming months.
“This is our busiest time, followed by the summer,” said assistant director Brenda Liner. “We’ll assist about 500 to 800 families during the summer and only about 300 in January and February because that’s when people are getting their tax returns.”
Liner said the bank is well stocked with canned vegetables, the but running very low on canned meats and soups.
