The Howard University School of Social Work (HUSSW) celebrated their 90th anniversary by hosting a food drive just before the Thanksgiving holiday. With a goal of collecting 900 items to commemorate 90 years of social work education, the food drive ran from Oct. 21 to Nov. 21.
Donations were collected both in person and virtually, providing current students and alumni with accessible ways to donate. In-person donations were taken through the collection box in the lobby of HUSSW, while online donations were made virtually through an Amazon registry. Items purchased through the Amazon registry were then shipped directly to the School of Social Work. All donations made go towards restocking Howard University’s food pantry, NourishHU.
NourishHU aims to address the short-term food insecurity needs of students on campus by offering a variety of shelf-stable, perishable and refrigerated items at no cost.
Originally, the food drive was intended to last only during Homecoming week as part of the 90th anniversary celebration. However, the participating community put forth such a great response that the planning team within HUSSW decided to cultivate an extension of the drive closer to the holiday season.
Sheara Jennings, dean of HUSSW, wanted to embrace Howard University traditions by commemorating nine decades of social work education through the food drive. After the successful turnout during the Homecoming donation period, Jennings set a quantifiable goal of collecting 900 food items.
“I wanted more. I wanted a bigger impact. I wanted canned goods to represent 90 years,” Jennings said.
For Jennings, the collaboration between the school of social work and the food pantry “just made sense.”
“I really began to think from a social work perspective. For social work, one of the things that we care about as a profession is that people are at least able to meet their basic needs. Food and shelter are very basic needs,” Jennings said.
Advertising for this food drive was extensive. Flyers were shared through HUSSW’s Instagram account as well as the personal accounts of students and staff involved in planning. Advertisements included links to the Amazon registry, ensuring that community members not currently on campus would be able to donate.
Kathelon Toliver, director of strategic planning and community engagement at HUSSW, believed collecting 900 food items was attainable, and she felt confident in the Howard social work community’s ability to meet that goal.
“Everything we do is roll up our sleeves and get it done,” Toliver said.
“I am proud to say that our goal was to have 900 donations, and we are well over a thousand at this point. It’s just been an overwhelming response from everyone in support of this food pantry,” she said.
The virtual method of donation was key in achieving this ambitious goal. It allowed for the participation of both the students enrolled in the Master’s of Social Work online program that the school offers, and the school of social work’s extensive alumni network.
Phillip Pratt, president of the HUSSW Alumni Association, said he was grateful for donations from both virtual and in-person participants.
“Oftentimes, we think people are doing well or aren’t hungry. But everybody has experienced hunger at some point in their life, and this is paying it forward to students who need it the most,” he said.
Pratt was also involved in the original creation of NourishHU, Howard University’s Food Pantry, when he was a student in the HUSSW in 2018. According to him, the school was directly involved with the negotiations surrounding the initial creation of the food pantry back then.
Dean Jennings expressed gratitude for her team at the school of social work, the alumni association and the student council for their steadfast commitment to excellence through this food drive.
“It takes a village, and I am so grateful to be a member of this village,” Jennings said.
Copy edited by D’Nyah Jefferson – Philmore
