Students and staff from Ivy Tech Community College−Northeast pitched in to collect donations for the community this holiday season. Different groups participated in helping out Community Harvest Food Bank, Toys for Tots, Allen County Christmas Bureau, CANI Head Start and Charis House.

Five classes of students in Business Administration collected more than 6,000 lbs. of food and additional cash donations amounting to $1,180. Community Harvest Food Bank will be able to purchase an additional 8,800 lbs. of food, totaling to more than seven tons of food.

“The annual food drive provides students with a hands-on learning experience in management that benefits both the students and the community,” said Patrick McCormick, program chair of College for Working Adults. “In addition to developing organizational leadership skills, the students develop soft skills as well as learn about the importance of social responsibility.”

Ivy Tech staff also took part in collecting 100 unwrapped toys to donate to Toys for Tots, who will then distribute the gifts to underprivileged children in the community.

Ivy Tech’s Early Childhood Development Student Organization placed trees in two locations on campus to collect mittens, gloves, hats and scarves. The donations were delivered to CANI Head Start and Charis House to help children in poverty.

Ivy Tech Academic Skills Advancement, with the help of the Registrar’s office and the School of Nursing, adopted a family from the Allen County Christmas Bureau. They were able to collect new clothing, shoes, bicycles, household items and additional donations for a family of six.

“As with the past seven years, we were able to acquire every item on the list,” said Karen Reilly, dean of Academic Skills Advancement and Support Programs. “The Ivy Tech family came through, as usual, in exceptional form.”