LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Supercenter chain Meijer has given its first donation of gift cards to Food Finders Food Bank as a part of the company’s “Simply Give” holiday donation program. The program launched in November at all 185 Meijer stores and will provide much-needed Meijer gift cards to 185 local food pantries in the communities where its stores are based.

“We are very pleased to be chosen by the Lafayette Meijer store as their food pantry,” said Katy Bunder, Executive Director of Food Finders. “The need we are experiencing this season is unprecedented, and the donations we are receiving from Meijer and its customers will be crucial to helping us fulfill our mission of feeding the hungry in the Lafayette area.

The Meijer Simply Give program began in November. To participate, Meijer customers can purchase a $10.00 Meijer Food Pantry Donation Card at special displays throughout the store, as well as inside Meijer gas stations. The $10.00 amount reflects a typical bag of groceries at Meijer. The donation cards purchased by Meijer customers are then converted into Meijer Gift Cards and given to the local Food Pantry selected by each store.

In addition to the gift cards Meijer is donating $100,000 in gift cards to help the participating food pantries stock their shelves this winter. This gift will be divided among the 185 participating food pantries.

The program will continue through December 24. At the completion of the program Meijer will donate all of the proceeds to Food Finders Food Bank.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University will begin collecting non-food items at campus drop-off points beginning Monday (Dec. 8th) for the annual Boilers Care-and-Share drive (formerly Gifts-in-Kind) as part of the 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

Collection boxes will be placed in university buildings through Jan. 14 for donations of family health items such as soap, deodorant, shampoo and baby products. A complete list of items will be posted at each collection site. Box locations and the items list can be found online at: http://www.purdue.edu/mlk2009

The items will be donated to the Food Finders Food Bank Inc., which serves 18 Indiana counties, including Tippecanoe County.

Purdue’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration continues with two events on Jan. 19. Students, staff and community volunteers will participate in a Day of Service followed by an appreciation luncheon. Volunteers can register to help area nonprofit organizations by calling (765) 496-2450 by Jan. 15.

The day will conclude with keynote speaker Steve Curwood, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and executive producer and host of the Public Radio International program “Living On Earth.” Curwood will speak at Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall at 7 p.m. The Purdue Dreamer Award will be presented at this time as well. The award, established in 2004, is given annually to an individual or organization within the Purdue University community whose contributions embody Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of service to others and further the university’s commitment to diversity. The award is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Ethics and Compliance.

The Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will continue with a video presentation of “Environmental Racism” at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 in the Lawson Computer Science Building, Room 1142.

Boilers Care-and-Share and other Martin Luther King Jr. events are sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Ethics and Compliance in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, Diversity Resource Office, Black Cultural Center, Office of the Vice President for Housing and Food Services, Latino Cultural Center, Native American Educational and Cultural Center and the Boiler Volunteer Network.

For more details, call (765) 494-7307 or http://www.purdue.edu/mlk2009.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Agencies working to end homelessness and hunger in Lafayette are spreading the word about the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, taking place this week, November 16-22, 2008.

“We want our community to understand that there are real people in our community who are both hungry and homeless,” said Jennifer Layton, Chair of the Homelessness Prevention and Intervention Network (HPIN). “We have over 20 different agencies which meet monthly to discuss the needs and trends of this population.”

On Monday, November 17th, at 11:30, a proclamation was read by Mayor Roswarski, Mayor Dennis and County Commissioner KD Benson in the lobby of Ivy Hall at Ivy Tech Community College. Food Finders Food Bank made a special presentation and the Emmet Koehler award to was presented to one of their board members. Emmet Koehler was the original founder of Food Finders. The event also featured other local social service agencies.

On Wednesday, November 19th, Lafayette Urban Ministry is holding a Legislative Preview at 3 pm. For information, please contact Patti O’Callaghan, Director of Social Justice, 423-2691.

The mission of the HPIN is homelessness prevention and intervention. The Network provides a forum for discussion of issues of homelessness, identifies levels of service and gaps in the system, assists in the coordination and integration of services to achieve a continuum of care, identifies key factors in ending chronic homelessness, and educates the public about homelessness issues.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University students living on campus donated 3,984 pounds of food to give a boost to mail carriers in Tippecanoe County during the 16th annual National Association of Letter Carriers food drive.

In its first year of participating, Purdue University Residences pushed the local total up to 74,000 pounds, two tons more than last year. That increase helped the local carriers defeat Monroe County carriers, assisted by Indiana University students, by several thousand pounds. Tippecanoe County carriers retain the small wooden bucket that goes to the winner of each year’s friendly competition, a prize similar to the Old Oaken Bucket given annually to the winner of the Purdue-Indiana football game.

University Residences’ students contributed 3,984 pounds, which goes to Food Finders Food Bank in Lafayette, Ind. The food bank’s resource director said she is “completely thrilled” by the generosity of Purdue students.

“We are so pleased that Purdue residence halls chose to participate,” said Kim Motuliak. “The staff and students were so cooperative and wonderful to work with.”

Fifteen residence halls collected food in barrels placed at each hall’s front desk prior to students going home for the summer. Motuliak said many students donated food that likely would have been thrown away.

“But it was obvious that some of the students even went out and purchased food specifically for this campaign,” she said. “That was very sweet of them.”

Purdue University Residences was invited to participate by Food Finders Food Bank volunteer Jennifer Barth, a freshman from Houston, who lives in Purdue’s Shreve Hall. Barth, who volunteered at food banks throughout high school, continued to serve as Food Finders Food Bank’s liaison with Purdue housing officials throughout the campaign.

“Young people can make a big difference in their community,” Barth said. “I’m glad I was able to help my fellow students make an immediate impact for those in need.”

The food bank will distribute items to food pantries, homeless shelters, senior centers and other such facilities in a 16-county region that stretches between the perimeter of the Indianapolis and Chicago metropolitan areas. Allyson Hodge, Purdue University Residences director of community relations, said she is proud of Barth’s accomplishment.

“It’s exactly that kind of leadership we work to instill in our nearly 12,000 residents through an array of charitable activities throughout the school year,” Hodge said. “Through projects like ‘Battle of the Barrels,’ our residents get to learn one of the most important lessons of college: how to become a better global citizen.”

Purdue University, particularly Housing and Food Services, contributes regularly to the food bank. Since December, Food Stores University Residences alone have contributed more than 15 tons.

Food Finders Food Bank is already planning to partner with University Residences residents again next year for the letter carriers’ food drive.

“Their first-year contribution of nearly 4,000 pounds has already proven incredibly valuable,” Motuliak said. “As students become more accustomed to participating, I expect their contributions to grow by leaps and bounds.”