Around 30 student volunteers gathered on Sunday to collect nonperishable food items, hygiene products and clothing from more than 1,000 houses for Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse and Project Concern, as part of the New York Public Interest Research Group’s (NYPIRG) Trick or Eat Food Drive.
Last week, Binghamton University students left plastic bags with a list of wanted items at houses around Vestal Senior High School. Donators were asked to fill the bags up with what they could and leave them outside for the collectors. The drive was planned by NYPIRG, which hosts these types of drives biannually, in partnership with several other student groups.
Each group visited around 90 houses collecting various bags. When their cars were full, they brought the donated goods to a U-Haul at Vestal Senior High School.
Ellie Plotkin-Kaye, the president of NYPIRG and a junior majoring in biology, said the event allowed students to give back to the local community.
“This event just shows how much of a difference one student can make,” Plotkin-Kaye said. “It’s really moving to see the generosity of people who live in Binghamton and the huge bounty of donations that just pile up in our office. It’s just a really rewarding event and it’s cool to see students of all different majors and clubs come together to work on it.”
Thomas Dowling, a member of NYPIRG and a sophomore majoring in political science, said he decided to participate because he believes food security is important to the local area.
“The Southern Tier, especially Downtown Binghamton, has so much poverty in it,” Dowling said. “I think it’s important for students to be able to give back to the community. Even though we’re only going to be here for four years, it’s so important to give back because Binghamton has so many resources that we take advantage of, so I think that we have to be able to pay it forward.”
According to Plotkin-Kaye, NYPIRG doesn’t know the total number of goods amassed during this specific event yet. However, the group has been able to collect more than 2,600 pounds of donations during the past two semesters.
Due to the timing of the event, organizers made the drive Halloween-themed. In the past, they’ve hosted events related to Women’s History Month and one focused on the start of the school year. According to NYPRIG members, year after year, the drives remain their most successful programs.
Maeve McGee, a junior majoring in environmental studies, said she thought the event was impactful because it led to the whole community pitching in.
“I think the community members also really enjoy feeling like they are giving back, too, because it’s so easy for people to give $3 worth of canned goods and really help people,” McGee said.