At the entrance of Northwestern’s Donald P. Jacobs Center, a single paper bag containing packages of macaroni and cheese lies in the flyer-festooned drop-off box.
The Northwestern University Staff Advisory Council spring food and toiletry drive began April 9, but donations have been “a bit slow,” according to NUSACoutreach committee member Margaret Mersch.
NUSAC, a group of volunteer NU staff members promoting a positive community through facilitating communication with University administration, set up cardboard boxes at five Evanston and Chicago campus locations to benefit the Marillac House food pantry and Connections for the Homeless, an Evanston homelessness prevention organization.
Drop-off boxes are accessible from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Jacobs Center, the first and ground floors of Norris University Center and the second floor of 720 University Place.
Chicago campus boxes are located at Abbott Hall human resources office and the Wieboldt Hall lobby.
Donors can choose to give toiletries and nonperishable food items from a suggested shopping list.
For hundreds of families and individuals on Chicago’s West Side, the drive provides much-needed assistance, said Whitney Allen, director of Family Services at the Marillac Social Center, 212 S. Francisco Ave., in Chicago.
“I’ve been with Marillac since 2009 and the pantry has expanded pretty significantly since then,” Allen said. “Back in 2009, we served 400 families in a month, and in April so far, we’ve just served over 500. We have a lot of seniors, people with disabilities, as well as struggling working families (and) families that are unemployed.”
Meeting this increased demand requires public support, said Brian Clark, associate director of development at the Marillac Social Center and St. Vincent de Paul Center.
Other pantries in the area have closed, raising demand further.
“We’re a completely donation-based food pantry,” Clark said. “We’re really thankful for anything the community can provide.”
To increase participation, Mersch said NUSAC will “send out another e-blast” to faculty and staff Monday.
NUSAC outreach committee chair Tracey Gibson-Jackson said the organization would extend the drive’s April 27 end date if needed.
“We want a turnout, so at the end of our drive, if participation is low, then we absolutely will extend it,” Gibson-Jackson said. “We want to get a good amount of things we can give to our partners.”
Nonetheless, organizers said the NU and Evanston community has come through in the past.
“For the holiday drive, we were surprised and overwhelmed with the response we got,” Allen said. “We were able to fill the entire side of our pantry with the donations we got from Northwestern. That was really heartwarming to see all the generosity coming from all the people who donated … to serve the families in need on the West Side. I’m really happy we’re able to continue this partnership.”
