The co-chairs of the annual Holiday Food Drive would like to express their sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this year’s drive. A longstanding campus tradition, the campaign provides hampers and financial assistance to student families at Durham College (DC) and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

“Last year we experienced a significant increase in demand for holiday season support, and this year was no different,” said Brad MacIsaac, co-chair, Holiday Food Drive. “Thanks to the generosity of our campus community, we raised nearly $41,000 over the month-long campaign, which will provide assistance to more than 230 DC and UOIT student families–that’s more than 500 people in total.”

“We could not have achieved any of this without the help of everyone who donated food and contributed financially, nor without our wonderful volunteers who joined us on December 18 to pack and deliver hampers,” added Kevin Dougherty, co-chair, Holiday Food Drive. “Once again this proved to be a wonderful opportunity for our campus community to come together for a great cause.”

Some recipients took to social media to express their appreciation:

“I’m blown away by everyone’s generosity. I’m not sure exactly how many people received hampers, but I know it has made a big difference to their holidays. When you have to choose between buying food or Christmas gifts for your children, it’s hard to enjoy the season. All I can say is thank you so much to everyone. When I can, I will be sure to pay it forward.”