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Community Academy students from left, Tenisha McKay, Mercy High School, Julie Brown, Millard North Middle School, and Dani Vanecek, Mercy High School. |
During the holiday season, the UNMC Community Academy Student Advisory Group’s Campus Food Drive proved to be an unexpected blessing for the Project Hope Food Pantry.
“The food drive couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Mary Ann Johnson, executive director of the Project Hope Food Pantry. “We had recently closed the pantry due to being totally out of food, then we received the donation from UNMC. The Project Hope Food Pantry sends a big thank you to the students of the UNMC Community Academy and the faculty and staff at UNMC.”
With a referral, individuals and families can visit the Project Hope office Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and receive food and other necessities. The North Omaha food pantry is at 42nd and Boyd Streets, one block south of 42nd Street and Ames Avenue.
Supporting the Pantry
UNMC donated 12 boxes containing a total of 600 cans of food and many personal care items including toiletries, laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, diapers and baby supplies. In addition, $98 was donated from a special hot fudge sundae drive sponsored by NHS Food Services at the Clarkson Café. Campus staff and faculty received a sundae for a $1 donation or a food/sundry donation.
Reaching youth through The Academy
The UNMC Community Academy is one of UNMC’s most successful youth outreach programs.
“The Academy is a year-round program that offers middle and high school students an opportunity to participate in fun, hands-on learning experiences relating to health sciences and health careers,” said Lisa Jewell, director of the UNMC Community Academy.
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Laura Jones |
“A huge success”
Laura Jones, president of the UNMC Community Academy Student Advisory Group and a senior at Northwest High School, praised the generosity of the UNMC campus faculty and staff and their continuing support for Omaha students, especially those from underrepresented communities.
“We really collected a lot of food in our drop boxes from all over the campus, but especially from the boxes at the Student Life Center and the Munroe-Meyer Institute,” Jones said. “At the ice cream social, a number of people gave $3 or $4, not just $1. This was our first drive and it was a huge success. In fact, we do not intend to make this just a holiday season event, but will explore trying to do it again later this year. Many of the food pantries run short in the spring and summer, because people often forget about the hungry until Thanksgiving or Christmas.”
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Cheryl Heese, RN, left, and Pixie Meier, LPN, NHS, Clarkson Hospital. |
The Academy helps students, community
Besides helping the community, the drive helped promote the UNMC Community Academy, Jones said. “Community Academy is not just about giving students a chance to learn about health science career opportunities,” she said. “We also are trying to encourage other students to see how they can help people in many other ways.”
Jones has been with the UNMC Community Academy since its inception in 1998. Not only has the program piqued her interest in the health sciences and health careers, but it also has helped her become a strong public speaker, encouraged her to network with students and professionals across the city, and inspired her to join and play an active role in other community service organizations.
“On behalf of all of us at the UNMC Community Academy, I want to thank the entire NHS/UNMC campus for their support,” Jones said. “You helped us make our first food drive a real success.”