University of Guelph students brought Christmas cheer to the local community as they delivered boxes of food to the Clifford Food Bank on Dec. 4.
Jason Morgenstern rented a truck and drove from Guelph to eight locations in Guelph, Fergus, Arthur and Mount Forest, before arriving in Clifford with the last delivery set for Palmerston.
The students and their courses are as varied as their hometowns, but they each volunteer to help with the Meal Exchange Program. Members of the team go to each classroom explaining the program. They rally students to “skip a meal” and offer their points from their meal cards to the program. The points are totalled and converted into credit applied through the Hospitality Services to buy cases of food needed by over 19 organizations.
This year they managed to collect over $19,000 worth of food, which most would likely agree is an incredible amount.
Jesse Edelmayer, Bailey Gould and Patrick Cieslar also managed to host and help at “Trick or Eat” and “Cooking on a budget” events as well as food drives.
These students head out to deliver the food in all sorts of weather and enter regions they never knew existed.
Locals expressed that it is wonderful they travel to the farthest parts of Wellington County to reach the people in those areas who are in need of nourishing food.
The students received a heaping helping of hospitality from the Clifford Food Bank committee, who offered snacks and drinks and a chance to discuss the people, the food, the Christmas hampers and the toy drive Clifford offers.
The University of Guelph has the largest chapter of Meal Exchange and they really do resemble their motto of “hunger problem, student solution.”
