November 22, 2005
Law student organizations join forces to feed hungry Lane County families
The holidays are even hungrier for Lane County citizens who have to scrimp and stretch at the best of times. Who better to help out than law students — whose training includes problem solving, assertiveness, prioritizing, and the ability to get things done?
because of their efforts.The gifts benefited Food for Lane County and Latino students and families in the River Road elementary school district. In addition to the baskets, close to 4,500 food items and $1,000 in cash were collected by Friday.
“We never imagined that people would come up with so much stuff! Some groups signed up for one basket and brought four. It was totally incredible,” said Emilia Gardner ’07, one of the organizers.
Natalie Duke ’08, who completed Eugene 4J’s Spanish Immersion Program in high school, had worked at River Road elementary school and understood the fragile economic situation of many of the students there – made even worse by the pending closure of Centro Latino Americano, Eugene’s advocacy and service organization for the Hispanic community. She contacted Maxine Proskurowski at the school, who enthusiastically signed on to the project.
Phi Alpha Delta member Rebecca Fritch ’07 said she brought a basket to a River Road family of three: a mother, fifteen-year old son and eleven-year-old daughter. “They came to Eugene from Mexico City four months ago and the mom just started a new job on Monday,” Fritch said. “We brought a trunk full of food and supplies plus a house plant. She was so moved — she told us she had relatives in Mexico City and we shouldn’t worry about a place to stay if we were ever there.”
Thanksgiving basket donors:
-Eliza Schmidkunz
