Washington University in St. Louis has joined forces with Operation Food Search to collect food for Ferguson and surrounding communities.
Faculty, students and staff are invited to drop off canned meat or other food items at 29 bins located throughout the Danforth Campus as well as at West Campus, North Campus and the School of Medicine. The drive, modeled after the spring food drive PB&Joy, will run through Labor Day (Sept. 1).
Stephanie Kurtzman, director of the Community Service Office and associate director of the Gephardt Institute for Public Service, said the turmoil in Ferguson is trickling down to the dinner table.
“There is not a crisis today, but people are starting to feel the pinch,” Kurtzman said. “When people can’t get to school or to their jobs because businesses are closed or because they have reduced hours, it exacerbates what is already a fragile situation.”
Kurtzman said Operation Food Search, one of the region’s leading food banks, has a well-established network in north St. Louis County. Kurtzman said the organization’s experience and expertise make it an ideal partner.
The drive is the first, but not the last, university initiative to address the challenges of Ferguson and the region. A new website, voices.wustl.edu, provides information about upcoming programs and opportunities to serve.
“The challenges facing this community are multilayered and will require many long-term and short-term responses,” Kurtzman said. “This food drive will not solve all of the problems, but it is a meaningful response to an immediate need.”
For more information, visit fooddrive.wustl.edu