Faculty and staff donate $1,400 to local Food Shelf

BY SARA EISENHAUER
News Editor

The Saint Mary’s University Volunteer Committee, comprised of faculty and staff, raised and donated $1,400 toWinona Volunteer Services to benefit the local food shelf, according to Laurie Haase, business office coordinator.

Each year, Volunteer Committee chooses to raise money through a variety of fundraisers to donate to a cause or group they feel is in particular need. The committee choses to help a local cause, the food shelf, because of a recent increase of families in need, Haase said.

The food shelf provides food for emergency situations and allows families that demonstrate financial need to come in and receive boxes of food, including items such as rice, beans and canned goods. The shelf now allows people to come in and shop from the shelves for food they actually want, Haase said.

“(Shopping) is a very cool thing that they do now,” Haase said. The committee raised money through several fundraising initiatives including “Jeans for a Cause” and “Let’s Do Lunch.”

“As employees, if you make a donation of $10 a month, you can wear jeans on Fridays,” said Haase about the ongoing “Jeans for a Cause” that helped raise some of the money. “Let’s Do Lunch” is a potluck that is sponsored each month by a different department. Staff members are welcome to come eat and leave donations, Haase said. These are ongoing fundraisers that occur each year for a different cause, which has in the past included Hurricane Katrina relief, supporting the De La Salle school in New Orleans and supporting the Nairobi campus.

“There are so many causes out there; sometimes it’s hard to pick,” Haase said. The committee was formed by Cynthia Marek, vice president for Financial Affairs, because of the willing individuals who wanted to match the efforts of student volunteers, Haase said.

“We wanted to come together as a committee and get organized to help not only the SMU community but the greater community as well,” Haase said.