The Staff Senate Holiday Food Drive is a decades-long tradition at ETSU. Through the food drive, Staff Senate puts together baskets of items needed to provide a typical holiday meal for staff, faculty or students in need. This year, the Staff Senate is also partnering with Food City to provide vouchers for recipients to purchase either a turkey or a ham for their basket.

“The food drive has always had a valuable impact on the community, particularly for staff, but also for students. And I think as the economy changes and things become more expensive, there’s even more of a need to support those in need during times like this,” said Cody Morelock, president of the Staff Senate. “Also from a community perspective, when people are aware that resources are available and that there are opportunities to get their needs met, they’re able to reach out and accept those measures of assistance a little bit easier.”

Donation sites are located in most of the buildings on the main campus as well as on the VA campus. Donations are being accepted until Friday, Nov. 13.

Needed items include canned green beans, canned corn, canned peas, canned sweet potatoes, stuffing mix, instant potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy mix, cake mix and icing, 9-by-13-inch aluminum pans, and seasonings and spices.

“However folks feel called to contribute, we’re happy to utilize those contributions. Even in some cases, we’ll receive things that we can’t use in the holiday bags, and those items are donated to Bucky’s Pantry, so they still go to community members in need,” Morelock said.

Monetary donations can be brought to any of the cashier windows in Burgin Dossett Hall. Checks should be made out to ETSU with “Staff Senate Holiday Drive” in the memo line.

Last year, the food drive provided food boxes for 90 recipients and their families. It raised around $1,000 in monetary donations as well as around 1,000 individual food items.

“Not many of us are in positions to be able to provide all the things that are needed, but as we come together as individuals and bring the things that we can to support, it makes the lift a little bit easier. And then that combined effort is carried over to people that need it,” Morelock said.

The request form to receive a food basket can be found at etsu.edu/staff-senate/events.php and is kept confidential. Baskets will be available for pickup Nov. 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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