Women's Basketball Delivers Food to Monument Crisis Center
12/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team made an early morning trip today to Monument Crisis Center in Concord to drop off barrels of food that were donated, as part of a food drive organized by the women's basketball team and CILSA, on campus last week at basketball games. In all, 295 pounds of food were collected. The group was also given a tour of the facility and learned about the center's history and programs that they run.
The food that was delivered will be distributed on Monday, December 13th, by Senator John Garamendi as he spends the day at the Crisis Center.
"On behalf of the clients, volunteers, Board of Directors and staff we want to thank the Saint Mary's women's basketball team and all their supporters for the generous donations of 295lbs of canned, dried and packaged food for our families here in the Monument Corridor of Concord and beyond. It was so wonderful that these student-athletes, their coaches, and athletic staff took the time out of their busy schedule with finals, practice and other responsibilities to personally deliver the food to our Center. We are seeing more than 6,000 people each month for our Food Distribution Program providing pantry food to those who are most in need. Our clients include many families, seniors, children and individuals who would otherwise go hungry. Especially at this holiday time it is wonderful to remember our neighbors in such a meaningful way. We wish the team well as they continue their season - and applaud them for their giving spirits," said Monument's Executive Director Sandra Scherer.
Coaches Paul Thomas and Tasha Burnett made the trip along with student-athletes Leanna Richey, Alex Carbonel, Alyssa Levesque, Ashlee Smith, Amber Coatney, and Andrea Bailey. Junior Alyssa Levesque said, "I volunteered at the crisis center in high school and helped sort food, so it was great to come back and see Sandra. Coming here reminds you that you need to think about others and not just yourself."
Senior Leanna Richey, who is a four year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) said, "It makes you feel good to take time out of your day to do this to help others. As a member of SAAC, I am going to take my experience here back to the group and see how we can do more to help the center in the future."
The food drive was part of the women's basketball "Be A Part of It" campaign, which is a conference-wide community service initiative, which encourages fans to come to basketball games and support their favorite WCC basketball teams both on and off the court. The team partnered on-campus with the Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action (CILSA) to organize the drive. CILSA is the academic center at Saint Mary's College for promoting a culture of service and social justice education. CILSA supports students, faculty, staff, campus units, and community partners to work together to promote intellectual inquiry and student leadership and development through action in academic, co-curricular, and community settings to foster personal and social responsibility for the common good.
"CILSA is incredibly grateful for our partnership with the Athletic Department in putting on two drives benefiting the community. The athletics staff, student-athletes, and fans have shown great enthusiasm and commitment. Hunger in our local communities is a huge issue, and one that's particularly hard for families to face during the holidays. The food donated in this drive will make a significant difference in the lives of people who are served by the Monument Crisis Center", said Beth Hampson, CILSA Coordinator of Engaged Teaching & Learning.
The Monument Crisis Center, a non-profit organization located in Concord, provides food, education, assistance, and referrals to families and individuals in crisis situations, and promotes community awareness of needs and resources available to at-risk and low income people in Contra Costa County. For more information: http://www.monumentcrisiscenter.org/
The women's basketball team will return to the court this Sunday, December 12th, at 2pm, when they host No. 10 UCLA. There will be a book and toy drive taking place at the game. All fans are encouraged to donate new book or toys. The first 100 fans to donate will receive a FREE women's basketball t-shirt.
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