DE Gives Back in 2010

You may not know this, but as an NC State employee, you have 24 hours of community service leave each year. This year the Distance Education staff decided to put this leave to use. They committed to spending two to three hours together every quarter with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina helping sort items for packaging.

These tasks are by no means glamorous. The staff spent one particular visit digging through a potato bin in search of rotten potatoes to throw out. Squish! Although it was a messy job, the staff was all smiles as they helped their fellow North Carolinians. Other tasks included sorting through eggs and over-the-counter medications.

The Food Bank is a non-profit organization that provides food to people at risk for hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. It was established in 1980 and the primary facility is located in Raleigh.

On Dec. 7, some of the DE staff also attended the Centennial Campus Gives Back Day with Stop Hunger Now.  This organization distributes food and other aid around the world. This time the staff modeled hair nets while they perfected the coordination of packaging meals that included rice, dried vegetables and vitamins. During DE’s shift, the group of approximately 30 volunteers met their quota by packaging 5,000 meals within just one hour— way to go, DE!

If anyone else is interested in volunteering at the Food Bank, just call or e-mail Carter Crain to schedule a time. The jobs are easy and a tremendous help in getting food to those who need it. Plus, it gives you a great excuse to dress casual for the day.