Community Giving Tree, which provides low-income families with basic necessities, expects to give out more than 8,000 gifts to local children this holiday season. Neighbors In Need, a Lawrence-based food pantry, received more than 170,000 pounds of donated food in November.
And the Merrimack College community, through Mack Gives Back and other initiatives, has embodied the Augustinian tradition of service to the community to help these non-profits help those in the greatest need.
“Merrimack College has been great in partnering with us in terms of supporting our program’s mission,” said Stephanie Dinunzio, outreach coordinator for Community Giving Tree. “We are going to help more than 20,000 local kids this year.”
Merrimack partners with Community Giving Tree for the College’s annual holiday gift drive, as well as its back-to-school drive in the fall. For the holiday gift drive, members of the Merrimack community purchase gifts through an Amazon wish list or make a monetary donation. Wish lists have about 50 to 70 items that range from games to coloring books to toys to clothes.
“We try to create the wish list based on what was popular the previous year and we also have some veteran volunteers who help put the list together,” said Dinunzio. “We also look to include items that are economically appealing to those who are donating.”
Neighbors in Need and Merrimack College’s partnership dates back many years, said Lisa Smith, executive director of the food pantry, especially around Thanksgiving. It is Neighbors in Need that receives the Thanksgiving baskets the Merrimack community compiles, which include more than 150 baskets this year.
“We have many touch points with Merrimack College,” said Smith.
Those touchpoints extend well beyond food donations. For a number of years, Neighbors in Need has had a Merrimack College community engagement fellow position. This year, a student from the Master of Social Work program is working at Neighbors in Need as part of their graduate program. Additionally, numerous students volunteer in Neighbors in Need’s warehouse and food pantries.
“We have seen a remarkable response at all levels this year and it is a testament to folks stepping up when they see a need,” said Smith.
Community Giving Tree also has Merrimack College students supporting its efforts, sorting through donations, conducting quality checks on items and preparing donations to be distributed to children and families.
“Every day is a new day with respect to what we need our volunteers to focus on,” said Dinunzio.
