CSUN Community Donates Record Number to Needy

  • Unified We Serve members on library steps.

    Members of the Unified We Serve team sit on the steps of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library among the cans they collected for their 2014 food and clothing drive. Photo by Nestor Garcia.

  • Student places can.

    A student places a can on the steps of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library to add to the thousands collected by CSUN’s volunteer organization Unified We Serve for its food and clothes drive. Photo by Lee Choo.

  • Students donated cans.

    Students placed donated cans on the main steps of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library for the Unified We Serve clothes and food drive. Photo by Lee Choo.

  • Canned food for Unified We Serve.

    Non-perishable goods such as cans of beans, fruits and vegetables are placed on the steps of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library as part of Unified We Serve’s food and clothes drive. Photo by Lee Choo.

  • Non-perishable goods for Unified We Serve.

    Non-perishable goods are donated to the San Fernando Valley community at the CSUN Unified We Serve clothes and food drive. Photo by Lee Choo.

California State University, Northridge’s Unified We Serve collected 10,245 items — a record number of articles of clothing, books, toys and nonperishable food items — to donate to needy San Fernando Valley residents.

“We believe as a CSUN community, we can come together and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need during the holidays,” said Ani Avetisyan, coordinator of Unified We Serve. “Every little donation counts.”

Unified We Serve, CSUN’s student volunteer program, and Community Engagement, the university’s service-learning program, partnered in a holiday drive during the sixth annual campus-wide event. The event culminated on Nov. 13 with a display of the donations on the steps of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library, as evidence of the “collective power” of CSUN students, faculty and staff.

Avetisyan said the campus community was generous in its support by donating 9,424 nonperishable goods, 722 articles of clothing, 72 books and 27 toys. Awards and recognition were given to individuals, clubs and organizations that made the largest donations. The faculty/staff award was given to sociology professor James Ballard, who donated 6,000 items, and the Lambda Sigma Gamma fraternity was recognized for donating 482 items.

The collected items were donated to MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity), the largest agency serving families struggling economically in the San Fernando Valley.

“It’s so great that the students at CSUN come together to help so many families in need throughout the Valley,” said Richard Weinroth, director of MEND’s food bank and executive chef. “They really understand the need and the impact of their donations that help families fill otherwise bare cupboards.”

For more information about student volunteer service at CSUN, visit Unified We Serve.

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