Campus kicks off annual food drive for nearby Mary’s Kitchen

Have you noticed the big glittery gold boxes around campus? Those are the drop-off containers for Chapman University’s annual food drive for Mary’s Kitchen, a local nonprofit that provides food and services to the homeless and hungry in our community.

Last year this beloved tradition, sponsored by Human Resources, resulted in a cargo van packed to the brim with canned goods and supplies, all of which are much needed at the kitchen, which is still recovering from a fire earlier this fall.

Requested donations are canned goods, as well as paper plates, bowls and cups, plastic utensils and dish soap. They may be placed in the collection boxes, all decorated by the folks in Institutional Event Management and Operations, at the following locations:

• DeMille Hall, Suite 103
• 633 W. Palm, Suite 118
• Argyros Forum, Suite 213
• Memorial Hall, Second Floor.

The boxes will be collected on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Mary’s Kitchen provides meals, hot showers and other services six days a week at its Struck Avenue location, less than two miles from campus. The food program was started in Hart Park in 1984 by the late Mary McAnena. In 2003, McAnena was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Award of Excellence by Chapman University.

Today, Mary’s Kitchen is a nonprofit run by teams of volunteers and assisted by local restaurants, markets and service clubs.

To learn more, visit maryskitchen.org.

Display image/Student workers Megan Belmonte ’17 and Matthew Sahli ’18 in Human Resources with one of the available donation boxes.