Pacific Index

Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Guthrie Straw Students walk past the three Oregon Food Bank bins that sit in the U.C. as part of Pacific's first annual "Gifts from the Heart" food drive. Pacific started Gifts from the Heart after allegations arose that the underprivelleged weren't getting the food collected at the previous Holidy Basket Program drive.

The Oregon Food Bank may be getting a bit less food than expected this year.
Pacific's first annual "Gifts from the Heart" food drive sponsored by the Forest Grove campus and the School of Pharmacy's second annual food drive each began Nov. 3 and run through Nov. 21.
"So far we're not really doing well," said Michelle Quint, employment specialist to Human Resources and one of the main organizers of the Forest Grove campus' food drive. "We wanted to get a minimum of 300 pounds, and I don't know that we have 20."
In previous years, Pacific sponsored the Oregon Food Bank's Holiday Basket Program. However, Pacific had to break that tradition after alleged reports of well-to-do families who took advantage of the system, said Quint.
After announcing the food drive over CANS, PUNN, Boxer Briefs, flyers on campus and the web, results have not been seen.
"I don't know what else we could do," said Quint.
Three donation barrels have been set around campus in Human Resources, Marsh Hall and the Hillsboro Health Professions Campus; however, confusion spread when a second group at HPC started their own food drive.
Ian Ferrari, a second year pharmacy student and president of the Ambassador Club for the School of Pharmacy, began his second annual food drive Nov. 3. Pacific has since continued the food drive on the Forest Grove campus, said Quint.
"At this point we have some food, but not nearly enough," said Ferrari. "Last year we donated 5,200 pounds of food, I just hope to get near that number."
With five donation barrels set up around the Hillsboro campus, the food drive is a part of Ferrari's student service project for the year.
"The pharmacy school requires each student to complete eight hours of volunteer service per year to do our part to fulfill Pacific's pledge to 'serve the under-served,'" said Ferrari.
Despite an ambitious goal, the HPC food drive faced a slow start as well.
"There hasn't been as much publicity about the food drive which is partly my fault," said Ferrari.
Whatever the reason for their slow starts, Ferrari and Quint remain hopeful that things will turn around before the food drive ends.
"I hope I can keep the tradition going even after I leave," said Ferrari.
Among Pacific's upcoming fund-raisers is a "Toys for Tots" holiday toy drive, which is scheduled to run Dec. 1 through Dec. 19.

For more on the food drive, read the editorial on page two discussing what type of food has been placed in the barrels.

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