Through food drives and blood donations, Otterbein students are not only preparing for their rival game against Capital, but they are also making a huge difference in the community.
The Center for Community Engagement is supporting a canned food drive competition between Otterbein College and Capital University to help relieve hunger in Central Ohio. Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM), the local Westerville food pantry, will be receiving all the donated goods.
WARM Executive Director, Scott Marier, is grateful to receive support made from not only food donations but generous amounts of funds and people's time as well. "WARM is so very appreciative of the support for our community work in helping others," said Marier. "It's exciting to see how much students care and their involvement makes a big impact."
The canned food drive competition is currently running in the Campus Center and will end on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Otterbein's Homecoming. Students are encouraged to attend the Homecoming football match versus Capital that day with canned food as their admission into the game.
Westerville also hosted its 28th annual CROP Walk this past Sunday with local churches and schools. Those who participated were able to help fight against hunger by simply walking.
CROP, which stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty, are community-based walks where neighbors from different faiths, cultures and ages raise money for local food pantries and agencies as well as international relief.
Otterbein's Chaplin, the Reverend Monty Bradley looks forward to the walk and those who participate. "We have churches helping out each year which are the core of the event. Each year there seems to be more students getting involved as well," Bradley said.
Senior, Mikki Coleman who attended CROP was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who came out for the walk. "You could tell everyone there was passionate about fighting world hunger and supporting the movement lead by Church World Services."
Bradley explained that CROP chooses to walk just as hungry people in developing countries walk. Some typically walk as much as six to eight miles a day to get the bare necessities. "We walk because they walk," Bradley said.
The money that was made from the CROP Walk will go towards efforts in the United States and around the world. A quarter of the funds raised will be given to the local WARM.
"I thought [the walk] went very well. The people I walked with, including Otterbein students and the Center for Community Engagement intern, all had an enjoyable experience. A total success in my book," Coleman said.
Students are also asked to prove if they really do bleed "Tan and Cardinal" this Friday in the Campus Center for the Otterbein vs. Capital Blood Battle. Blood donations will be taken from 1 until 7p.m. in the evening. Otterbein alumnus Cabot Rea of NBC4 will be stopping by during the day as well. t&c;
