Campus Service and Civic Engagement hosted a donation drive throughout the month of October called ‘Caffeine for Heroes’, collecting caffeine products for professionals who serve the community. The drive also gives students an opportunity to give back to the community and earn community service hours through the service event.
Lacy O’Malley, Assistant Director for Service and Civic Engagement, says the term ‘heroes’ applies to a variety of people who serve the community.
“It can be first responders, like EMS, police, firefighters,” she says. “But we’re trying to get enough goods to give it to nonprofit leaders and healthcare workers; all of the people that make our community work.”
Red boxes were provided in designated spots for people to donate products like coffee, energy drinks, single-serve coffee pods and drink mixes, and energy shots. The boxes were available at locations on campus, like in front of the Campus Activities Center office and the Axe Library, but also included places around town, like The Balkan, Ron’s Supermarket and Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
O’Malley says expanding the drive beyond campus gave more people the chance to contribute to the project.
“College students may not have as much to donate, and so I was trying to get the community involved,” she says. “The overall goal was to create a day of service on campus for students, and I needed items for that. Having locations out in the community allowed the community to contribute as well.”
In addition to collecting donations, O’Malley highlights that this event is intended for students to understand and appreciate all the work these professionals contribute to the community.
“It’s important because a lot of the time we don’t even know that some of these services are being provided, because it’s automatic and you don’t need it maybe until you’re in an emergency,” she explains. “By having this event, to have a day of service on campus for students, we’re able to make the connections so that students can see all the different layers supporting our community.”
The drive will conclude with a day of service on Nov. 5 from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Governor’s room at the Overman Student Center. Students volunteering at the event can help sort donations, prepare deliveries, as well as assemble care packages for the people receiving the donations. They will also have the opportunity to write thank-you notes recognizing the hard work that is put into helping the community.
O’Malley encourages students to look for other upcoming volunteer opportunities to get involved in moving forward.
“I do know there are a lot of really great drives for a lot of great groups that are doing them all the time,” she says. “Keep an eye out for other stuff too.”
