During the week of finals, the Carr Center looked more like a high-quality thrift store than a sports complex. On one side, hundreds of shirts, sweaters, shorts and blankets were neatly organized on long tables. Nearby, mattresses, dressers, couches, mini refrigerators and microwaves were lined up, ready to go. And there was plenty of non-perishable food too, like cereal, pasta, Cream of Wheat mix and jams.
Saint Anselm College’s Food, Clothing and Furniture drive (FCF) was in full swing.
This massive donation effort takes place while most students are getting ready to move off campus. They dropped off items they did not want to bring home or no longer had a use for. Why go through all this extra effort? Because it’s way better to donate goods to a worthy cause than deposit them in a dumpster, according to students.
The items went directly to the homes of 40 local families as well as several organizations. In addition to Saint A’s students, other members of the Anselmian community who live off-campus also contributed.
Outside of the Carr Center on that warm spring day, student volunteers wearing yellow FCF t-shirts were busy wrangling the wares. At one point, eight of them worked together to carry a couch up the ramp of a U-Haul truck. That is the kind of teamwork that made them feel proud.
In all, there were 30 Saint Anselm students who helped collect, organize, and distribute these donations out into the community. Leading the effort was Ellen Duane ’22, who said FCF is a special event that she holds dear to her heart.
“It's not only beneficial for us and our growth, but also seeing the looks on people’s faces and the gratitude they show is priceless,” she said. “It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Check out a photo gallery from the FCF drive below.