Redeemer University students took to the neighbourhood streets of Ancaster during Launch week for the annual Community Food Drive. For over 15 years, this event has been an integral part of Redeemer’s Launch orientation program for first-year undergraduate students.
At the start of each school year, students deliver paper grocery bags to over 4,000 homes in the surrounding Meadowlands neighbourhood and a flyer inviting neighbours to fill the bags with non-perishable food items.
Friday, September 11 was the Food Drive collection day where all student volunteers collect the food donations to support Neighbour 2 Neighbour (N2N) Centre, a non-profit organization in Hamilton.
Bethany Davis, student engagement coordinator, has been leading Launch orientation week at Redeemer for eight years.
She began the night with encouragement to more than 150 students, “What you are doing matters. A food drive is still relevant and it’s needed more than ever and will significantly affect our communities.”
Davis says that Neighbour 2 Neighbour provides food for 1,700 families every month. According to their stats, one in three families in Hamilton struggle to consistently access nutritious food due to financial constraints.
“We find that students get to know each other when they’re working towards a common goal and what better common goal than to serve our Hamilton community? … We are serving and meeting a significant need in the Hamilton community. We are also reflecting the love of Jesus Christ to our neighbours.”
A large white delivery truck takes centre stage in the middle of the Meadowlands Fellowship Church parking lot where the event is hosted. At the start of the night, the truck is empty as students gather together in their teams and disperse out, walking and driving to homes all across Meadowlands to pick up the donation bags.
We are serving and meeting a significant need in the Hamilton community. We are also reflecting the love of Jesus Christ to our neighbours.
Upper-year student volunteers also join the Food Drive to lead the teams, supporting first-years and championing them to put their faith into action.
Fourth-year psychology student David Okechukwu says, “It feels really nice as a fourth year to see all the first years come together and do the same food drive that I did and watching them bond with each other over the food drive, get to meet people in their community, collect from them, and serve Jesus Christ all at the same time. It feels really satisfying to witness, especially as I’m leaving and I’m seeing the people coming in have the same enthusiasm for the community and for Christ that I tried to have when I came.”
As students serve, they are also encouraged by the outpouring of generosity from their neighbours. First-year music and worship student Devon Stewart shared his highlight from the day. “We were going around collecting all the food drive bags, and there was one street, I think every house had a bag, and I’m like ‘These guys are awesome!’”
This event presents an opportunity for Redeemer students across all years of study to work together for the common good, reaching beyond Redeemer’s campus and answering God’s call to love our neighbours as ourselves.
I love the Food Drive because we have all the dorms bond with each other and serve the Lord and be a light to the neighbourhood.
Hannah Bettencourt, fourth-year psychology student and leader loves watching her team of first years develop a heart to serve. “Not only are we able to provide food to families who don’t have food, but also just seeing how students interact with people in the neighbourhood–they’re waving and greeting people, and it’s so cool because we’re able to reflect that love in showing that to people as we collect the food, as well as for the people we’re giving it to. I love the Food Drive because we have all the dorms bond with each other and serve the Lord and be a light to the neighbourhood.”
One by one, cars started returning to the parking lot, completely filled with donation bags, often overflowing. Students and volunteers formed trains to pass hundreds of food drive bags to fill up the Neighbour 2 Neighbour food truck. The team spirit was alive as everyone had a part to play, and students even started gathering around the truck to sing “My Lighthouse.” And the generosity of the community was remarkable, as the food drive collected over 10,000 pounds of food for Neighbour 2 Neighbour.
First-year English literature and philosophy student, Jenna Wagenaar says that the Food Drive gave her confidence to do outreach like this, knowing that there are people outside of the community that need assistance and we might not always see that. “Being a part of a community that’s aware of this and they’re so focused and driven to do this every single year, that’s something I’m definitely taking with me.”
*Redeemer would like to thank the generous sponsors, Ancaster Dental Care and Stephen J. Dunn Insurance Agency. The university would also like to thank Meadowlands Fellowship Church for their support by providing dedicated volunteers, use of their parking lot space, and a dinner for the students on the food drive collection day.
Redeemer is grateful to the team at Neighbour 2 Neighbour for the important work that they do and for their support in the donation process.