College stuffs 46 Thanksgiving baskets for Valley families
<p> Cans of vegetables, boxes of stuffing, board games, napkins and grocery store gift cards were among the items filling 46 large laundry-size baskets and bins earmarked for Thanksgiving meals for Maricopa County families. Assembled by staff, faculty members and students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, the bounty is headed for the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and the Save the Family Foundation of Arizona. Another seven boxes of food was delivered to the Valley of the Sun United Way. </p><separator></separator><p> The annual community outreach project, which started in the dean’s office, now has many of the college’s academic units and research centers participating. This year, students from CLAS Hall, the Liberal Arts and Sciences residential college located in Hassayampa Academic Village, also filled two baskets. GIOS also participated, filling six baskets.</p><separator></separator><p> “This is such a very special time of year for families and friends. We are appreciative of our college colleagues who pitched in and filled so many baskets – more than double the 20 we filled last year,” said Rebecca Albrecht, director of special events for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.</p><separator></separator><p> “St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance has written saying our baskets are fabulous each year and students in their Community Kitchen Program will be excited to receive them this time,” Albrecht said. </p><separator></separator><p> Because there was a wide range of items going into the baskets, participants could contribute at a variety of levels, from a single can of vegetables or bottle of juice, to a $10 gift card or a board game, according to Albrecht.</p>