The William and Mary Police Department sponsored a campus-wide food drive for FISH, a local food pantry, Tuesday and Wednesday. They will continue to accept donations at the campus headquarters through the weekend.
“We have collected several hundred pounds of food for FISH,” Chief of Police Don Challis said. “We encourage students who are cleaning out their cupboards to bring appropriate food items to the police department.”
Students, staff and faculty are asked to donate non-perishable staples such as canned meat, beans, rice, pasta, canned vegetables, tuna, peanut butter and jelly, chunky soups, cereal, crackers, powdered milk and other high-protein, high-energy foods.
The idea to sponsor an on-campus food drive originated with Officer Chester Fowler, who says he first considered hosting the food drive while watching a news story about the struggles of local food banks to keep up with the area’s increased demand in the economic downturn.
“We have jobs while many others do not,” Fowler said in a press release. “It seems to me the least we could do is to help out the community by providing supplies to the shelter.”
Campus Police will also be providing hot dogs to students starting Friday at 9:00 p.m. at the Sadler Center Terrace. Students who blow .00 BAC on a breathalyzer test will also be given t-shirts.
