By GABRIELLE MARTIN, News Editor.
March Madness isn’t just for basketball fans. During the month of March, the student food pantry at Delta College hosts a competitive food drive. Each food item donated counts as one point and each dollar donated counts as three points. The class that accumulates the most points per student wins the March Madness food drive.
“It’s a fun competition and it’s a way to include the students and give them a way to give back,” says Michelle White, manager of Academic Career Experience and Service Learning at Delta College.
This year’s winning class was Psychology 211 taught by Brent Fonville. The class of 25 averaged 55 points per student and donated a total of 1,386 items to the food pantry – far more than any other class. The second place class was Sociology 211 section 122, taught by Brigit Dyer, which accumulated 232 points with a class of 24. As a whole, the food drive brought in a total of 3,825 items.
“This is the only food drive all year that involves students,” says White. She goes on to explain that the food pantry tries not to ask students for donations since they are the people who need the service that the food pantry offers.
The food pantry, which runs completely off of donations, is open to any Delta student enrolled in at least one credit hour that semester. Students must provide a Delta ID in order to use the food pantry. White says that since August 26 – the start of the academic year – the food pantry has had 1,324 visits by students.
The food pantry will be open for the spring semester Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for students who are in need of the services it offers. It will be closed July and August.