Thanks to faculty and staff who love wearing blue jeans to work on Fridays, the Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) Staff Council Outreach Committee raised enough funds to purchase, donate, and deliver 265 hams weighing 1,060 pounds to Love Chapel’s food pantry last week.
The university’s Staff Council has supported local charitable organizations for more than a decade, especially during the holidays.
The “ham challenge” began in 2002 to support the food pantry at Love Chapel, which provides those in need with food, toiletries, and other items. The idea of donating $5 to wear jeans one Friday a month began in 2008. Since then, participation has grown and “Jeans Day”became a twice-monthly event.
According to Geneva Foster, a member of the council’s outreach group, the fundraising begins each year after Thanksgiving. “Participants can donate weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual donations. The funds raised are saved throughout the year until the week after Thanksgiving, when we use the money collected to purchase as many Christmas hams as we can.”
IUPUC employees Becky Stephens and Jeni Perry were also instrumental in ensuring the ham challenge was a success, Foster added, thanking all council members and everyone who made this year’s effort a success.
“Although there are always those in need, our thoughts and hearts naturally go out to our neighbors during the holidays. IUPUC employees are a loving, caring family. When challenged, we always find a way to come through, whether it is for someone on campus or someone in the community,” Foster noted.
Members of council’s outreach committee focus on ways to improve quality of life in Columbus, whether collecting items for care packages to send to soldiers serving overseas or volunteering as “Senior Angels” who bring cheer, company, and small gifts to senior citizens who are in local nursing homes and care facilities.
The university’s Staff Council meets monthly to plan, manage, and organize activities and programs intended to foster communication, team-building, and cohesion among staff at all organizational levels. In addition to discussing shared challenges or concerns, they also pursue opportunities for personal and professional development, including activities like a health fair, training opportunities to learn new technologies, and more.
IUPUC is located at 4601 Central Avenue near Columbus Regional Airport. For more information, visit www.iupuc.edu or call 312.348.7390.