Sodexo and The Caring Place bring fourth annual food drive to Lee
Photo by John David Clark
Sodexo has partnered with The Caring Place for a food drive taking place at dining locations on Lee’s campus until Nov. 4.
Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’ Donuts and the Deacon Jones Dining Hall have bins available for non-perishable food items, and all on-campus dining and retail cash registers have the option to add a one-dollar donation to the cause.
The Caring Place, a local nonprofit organization, commits itself to providing necessities to the Bradley County community while also addressing bigger issues of poverty. Executive director Corrine Freeman explained that the organization attempts to be a gateway into sustainable living.
“We envision a community where everyone has the resources they need to thrive. We do that by meeting needs in love, like food, clothes and social and spiritual support services,” Freeman said. “We try to provide a stable place to keep people from sinking further into poverty and bridge people into a thriving and sustainable life.”
According to Freeman, hunger doesn’t always look like someone starving from lack of food itself. Lack of accessibility to nutritious food can lead to malnutrition or major health problems. Often, impoverished families must decide between food and rent, utilities or other needs. Sometimes parents will skip meals so the children can eat.
“We don’t want people to be forced to make those tough choices,” Freeman said.
The organization got its start 18 years ago. Four local churches banded together to ease the food problem affecting parts of Cleveland. According to Freeman, what started out as a coordinated food pantry has grown to a trusted resource for more than 1,300 families.
Cleveland has a growing margin between those in and out of poverty. According to an article from WGRZ, an NBC news outlet, Cleveland was ranked ninth in the nation for the largest growth of concentrated poverty.
“A pocket of the community experienced a growth in poverty while the rest of the area had a decrease,” Freeman said. “This shows the inequality and limited access to resources.”
The Caring Place depends on food and money donations to meet the needs of those in poverty, and they have high hopes for the food drive on Lee’s campus.
“A bulk of our budget goes toward purchasing food items, so when we get food donations, it really allows us to stretch our resources,” Freeman said. “We’ve always been surprised by how well college students do. The typical generation of college student right now is very aware that there is a need, and they do what they can to meet that need.”
Traci Humphrey, retail manager for Sodexo, knows the importance of supporting causes like The Caring Place. When she was a student at Lee, she was married and had a child. Her family depended on The Caring Place and the food bank on campus for good, nutritious food.
Humphrey explained that The Caring Places also goes beyond the small-scale fixes through their programs and workshops that focus on broader issues.
“The Caring Place uses food, which is immediate and tangible, but they don’t stop there. They do more than just a handout,” Humphrey said.
Sodexo and The Caring Place have organized a food drive at Lee in October for the past four years. Sodexo general manager Bruce Reed explained that Sodexo reaches out to other local organizations to fight hunger.
“Sodexo has a long history of helping the communities where we are located. One of our main focuses is stopping hunger,” Reed said. “This is a company-wide effort year-round.”
This fall, Sodexo is being more purposeful in advertising and extending the drive to three weeks. Humphrey shared that Sodexo implemented a marketing strategy since the food bank had been previously promoted by word of mouth. They also decided, for the first time, that 50 percent of the donated money will go towards the food bank on campus and 50 percent to The Caring Place.
To make it easy to donate, students can donate one dollar or more using their Flex Dollars, credit card or cash with any purchase.
According to Humphrey, donating is simply a matter of being intentional. Getting a smaller coffee size, donating a bit of your Flex, or buying an extra canned good with groceries can make all the difference for those in need.
“A lot of times, we’re not aware of the extra cash we do have,” Humphrey said. “A dollar is not typically overwhelming on our side, but it can mean a lot to the receiving end.”
Freeman explains that, through donating, students can share the love of God in the community and have confidence that their dollar is going to a good cause.
“We can be the hands and feet of Christ—here is food because you are hungry. Here is clothing because you are naked,” Freeman said. “We can meet people where they are, desperate and in bondage, and say, ‘There’s more.’”
To learn more about the Caring Place or how to volunteer, visit their website. To donate money or non-perishable food items for the food drive, visit the Deacon Jones Dining Hall or the Chick-fil-A and Dunkin’ Donuts retail locations on campus.
