THUNDER BAY — Faculty and staff at Confederation College have raised more than $44,000 to combat student hunger.
The annual Stock the Bank campaign is a very competitive time of year at the college, said school president Kathleen Lynch, who on Monday helped unveil this year’s total collection, that included more than 10,000 food items donated to the on-campus food bank.
It’s good news, Lynch said, but also bittersweet that it’s needed.
“Every year we know there is a great need out there, but I think we’ve all been feeling it more so this past year. We’re hearing from students that it’s more of a struggle just to meet that day-to-day need that they have,” she said.
“This is a great number to go toward that.”
Lynch said the total comes in the form of cash, bursaries and the food donations.
“There are many ways they can get help from the college. And, as was mentioned today, it’s not just a one-time event. We collect all year. But this is the time of year where we collect a significant portion toward that need.”
Robin Gathercole, president of the Student Union of Confederation College Inc., said the annual campaign has been going on for the past 18 years and he was pleased to see staff raise nearly $20,000 of the total over a two-week span.
“There definitely is a need,” he said. “It seems to be more and more pressing every year. The cost of living, the cost of food is going up, so to be able to help our students have some sort of relief during stressful times is very important to us.”
It also adds a bit of fun to the workplace, which Gathercole said has helped up the ante over the years.
“Our focus is through our staff and because of that competitiveness between the departments, it really brings a lot of generosity our way,” he said.
It shows how staff care about the students.
“I think it’s just the compassion they have to their student and how this little bit of generosity can really take that stress off and allow them to focus on their academics,” Gathercole said.
The college’s emergency food bank can be accessed by students once a semester.
