Cumberlands hosting annual food drive

University of the Cumberlands cares about a lot of things, and providing food for local families is one of them.

Cumberlands’ annual food drive kicks off October 10th and ends November 20th. In other words, a month’s worth of excitement, generosity, and literal tons of food is just around the corner!

All are welcome to donate non-perishable foods to the cause. Though the university will be focusing on bringing in specific food groups each week, donations of any kind of non-perishable food are welcome anytime. To contribute, drop off the food in the Office of Student Affairs, located on the top level (Grill level) of the Boswell Campus Center.

Don’t have time to run to the store? Not a problem. Monetary donations are welcome too and will be used to purchase items in bulk – which is often cheaper per food item, thus providing even more food for local families. To donate, visit www.ucumberlands.edu/fooddrive.

Cumberlands is adding other, non-food items to their list of desired goods this year, based on the needs in Eastern Kentucky as well as the local community. For those who want to follow Cumberlands’ food-group donation schedule, it’s as follows:

Week 1 (Oct. 10 – Oct. 16): Flood relief items for Eastern KY, such as cleaning supplies, water bottles, etc.

Week 2 (Oct. 17 – Oct. 23): Kids’ food items, such as fruit pouches, easy-to-microwave meals, etc.

Week 3 (Oct. 24 – Oct. 30): Protein and beans. Beans can be dry or canned.

Week 4 (Oct. 31 – Nov. 6): Hygiene and laundry items.

Week 5 (Nov. 7 – Nov. 13): All things pasta! Noodles and pasta sauces are welcome.

Week 6 (Nov. 14 – Nov. 20): Canned fruits and vegetables.

Desired food items were chosen based on feedback from local food pantries about their specific needs. Again, all food items will be received at any time, regardless of the food-group-focused schedule. (The schedule is simply to help avoid collecting excessive amounts of only one or two food groups by switching up the focus each week.) All donations (including flood relief supplies in Week 1) can be dropped off in the Office of Student Affairs at Cumberlands, located in the top level (Grill level) of the Boswell Campus Center. Monetary donations can be made at www.ucumberlands.edu/fooddrive.

The past two annual food drives collected nearly 60,000 pounds of food in total for local families. These food drives do not include the 14,625 meals donated to local families through Mountain Outreach last year, a ministry hosted by University of the Cumberlands.

To learn more about Cumberlands’ community service initiatives, visit www.ucumberlands.edu/faith-action.