MURFREESBORO, NC – Chowan University’s Honors College Student Association (HCSA) holds a canned food drive annually, but this year they were able to collect more cans than ever before. In addition to the usual posters across campus and email reminders to students and staff, the club decided to make the extra effort to make a difference this holiday season.

Sean Timmons, student Service Project Chair of the HCSA, says, “The growth in response was primarily stimulated from community outreach efforts.” Timmons and other committed members ventured into the surrounding neighborhoods to ask for donations. The community not only responded cheerfully to help out with canned foods, some also made monetary donations towards the cause.

Another reason this year went so well was due to the club winning a $100 cash prize for being a 1st place winner in a campus-wide video contest. The video contest was sponsored by the Office of Development as a part of their #GivingTuesday campaign. The video showcased reasons why the club enjoyed giving back to others. The $100 was given to the Ahoskie Food Pantry’s backpack ministry.

“A huge thanks goes to Sean Timmons, Kyle Davison, Odell Tayloe, Calvin Bowe, and Ryan Harris who helped buy cans as well as deliver them to Ahoskie,” comments Jennifer Humphrey, Co-Sponsor of the HCSA.

The total of 728 cans were given to the Ahoskie Food Pantry on Wednesday, December 7th.

“We can’t begin to thank you enough,” commented Mr. and Mrs. William Arrington of the Ahoskie Food Bank. “A lot of people are out of work and some assistance programs have been reduced. We couldn’t continue the program without donations from kind people like these students.”