St. Mary’s Food Bank

The Honors College has grown so much in the last eight years, one day dedicated to service events wasn’t enough. This week, it hosted its first Commitment to Service Week, providing an opportunity for multiple Honors clubs to volunteer at nonprofit organizations. “We just wanted to integrate service much more heavily and integrate this initiative into the college this semester,” Honors College Program Manager Anya Cofrancesco said. “We just decided to go big and make this a huge campaign. It’s been incredible to see their (students) compassion and just rolling up their sleeves and getting into the community.”

It was the turkey call that mattered the most: “Don’t be a nerd; donate a bird!” GCU baseball, as it has for the past seven years, spent the Saturday before Thanksgiving collecting turkeys, nonperishable food and monetary donations for St. Mary’s Food Bank on Super Saturday. The nonprofit is in the midst of its busiest time of year, one made even more challenging because of the coronavirus pandemic. Super Saturday kicked off the University’s Give with Purpose holiday employee giving campaign.

Matt Cooper, Food Drive Coordinator for St. Mary’s Food Bank, shared that this has been the most challenging year for the organization in its 53-year history. When the pandemic hit Arizona in the spring, he said the number of food bank clients doubled and, at one point, tripled, at a time when 80% of its volunteer force disappeared. With the need being so great, Community Relations Manager Debbie Accomazzo said, “The year of the pandemic would NOT be the year that GCU would step away from our mission of addressing food insecurity.” That need makes the Give with Purpose holiday employee giving campaign more important than ever, though it will look a bit different than past years.