On November 23, PBCSI hosted the final Donate-A-Day of the fall semester. Volunteers gathered on Friday evening at the St. Vincent de Paul Center in Lincoln Park to assist with the set up for their annual homeless outreach luncheon that would take place the following day.
At the luncheon, homeless people and families walk around the St. Vincent de Paul Center and visit various stations to receive winter clothing and coats, medical assistance, backpacks, toiletries and toys for the children. Everyone who attended the luncheon enjoyed a home-cooked turkey meal. Donate-A-Day volunteers were assigned various tasks to help set up for the luncheon, including sorting clothing and organizing the different stations to ensure the next day would run smoothly.
“Volunteering at this month’s Donate-A-Day was a wonderful experience," said Byron Munro, a 1L at DePaul. "Everyone worked well with each other and we knew our part would go a long way in helping the luncheon run effectively the next day.”
DePaul students worked with other volunteers to ensure that the set up was complete on Friday evening. This was the first time that PBCSI participated in the set up portion of the event, but students enjoyed joining together on a Friday evening to help out in the community.
First-year law student Sierra Hagl said, “From this Donate-A-Day experience I learned that giving just a tiny bit of your time can mean the world to a large amount of people. Every moment of your time counts for something and this time, my moments of time meant that someone was provided with clothing to shelter them from the cold.” Students sorted through large amounts of donations organizing winter coats and other clothing by size.
There will be three more Donate-A-Day events during the spring semester. The first Donate-A-Day event will be held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 19, as classes are not held on this day. For more information, please contact PBCSI Coordinator Caitlin Duane.