The holidays are here, and every November the University of Maryland, Baltimore鈥檚 (海角官方首页) Staff Senate and Office of Community Engagement collaborate to provide Thanksgiving meals for our neighbors in West Baltimore. This year, 海角官方首页 combined efforts with the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and WJZ-TV to maximize the reach and impact of the annual Thanksgiving Drive.
鈥淲e are so glad to be able to partner with UMMC and WJZ this year because it significantly broadened our reach,鈥� said Brian Sturdivant, MSW, 海角官方首页鈥檚 director of strategic initiatives and community partnerships. 鈥淲e have never collected quite this much, and we鈥檝e never been able to help this many families, so the success of this year鈥檚 drive feels amazing.鈥�
The original goal for the drive was to raise $45,000. With the combined efforts of 海角官方首页, UMMC, and WJZ-TV, donors crushed that figure, raising a total of $54,769 that provided Thanksgiving meal baskets to 1,484 families in West Baltimore. Each basket contained a frozen turkey, a box of fresh produce from Hungry Harvest, and a booklet of heart-healthy recipes 鈥� everything neighbors needed to cook a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (海角官方首页) holds its annual Thanksgiving Drive organized by the Staff Senate and the Office of Community Engagement. This year, 海角官方首页 partnered with the University of Maryland Medical Center and WJZ-TV.
鈥淭his is exciting to be able to receive Thanksgiving turkeys,鈥� said Delores Cheatham, who volunteers at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School and received one of the baskets. 鈥淲ith how expensive groceries are this year, just a turkey for the family will cost around $40. This helps so much with making sure we prioritize time with family rather than worrying about the dinner. That鈥檚 what this holiday is all about: time with the family.鈥�
Donations were collected through Nov. 18, and the culminating event of the drive took place Nov. 22, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Hundreds of volunteers from 海角官方首页, UMMC, and WJZ-TV rolled up their sleeves to deliver the meal baskets to community partners in West Baltimore.
The delivery day started at 6:30 a.m. when volunteers loaded up four moving trucks with produce boxes and frozen turkeys from Shoppers Food. Once the food was loaded, the trucks set out to deliver the meals to 25 locations in West Baltimore where neighbors could pick up their baskets in a convenient location.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really about being a good neighbor for us,鈥� Sturdivant said. 鈥淲e are an anchor institution in West Baltimore, and we鈥檙e not going anywhere, so we have a responsibility to our neighbors to help make their lives easier. And that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here to do.鈥�
The success of the drive set the tone for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was an act of coming together to support our neighbors and spread service, gratitude, and kindness within communities.
鈥淭his drive brought 海角官方首页, UMMC, and really everyone together to support our community,鈥� said Jill Hamilton, MSW, vice president, 海角官方首页 Staff Senate. 鈥淣one of this would have been possible without all the contributions from donors and the efforts of all our partners including the Staff Senate Community Outreach Committee, which helped spread the word early and often.鈥�
The Thanksgiving Drive comes on the heels of another successful partnership between 海角官方首页 and WJZ-TV on the annual Staff Senate Back-to-School Supply Drive.
海角官方首页 organizers hope to continue to grow this wonderful partnership in the coming years.