BINGHAMTON, NY – Every year, Binghamton University students, faculty and staff host numerous holiday drives to give back to the community and those in need. There are a number of programs scheduled for the coming weeks to give everyone in the Binghamton area the opportunity to feel the holiday spirit.
Hand-to-Heart Holiday Project
1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, in the College-in-the-Woods (CIW) Commons Room, CIW Dining Hall
The Hand-to-Heart Holiday Project, an annual holiday drive organized by Residential Life and the National Residence Hall Honorary, allows students and staff to donate gifts to children in need this holiday season by filling a gift bag for a child up to 12 years old. The Salvation Army has received well over 1,000 requests this year for gift bags from families in need. Gifts specifically for the Wyoming Conference Children’s Home should be purchased for children aged infant through independent teen.
Chanukah Toy Drive
6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10 in the Tillman Lobby, University Union
This Chanukah, students plan to light up hundreds of lives through the annual Binghamton University Chanukah Toy Drive. All toys will be delivered to children suffering from cancer. Individuals can contribute by visiting http://www.JewishBu.com/ToyDrive. Each year the drive has exceeded its previous goals; after raising $10,000 worth of toys last year, this year the goal is to raise $11,000 worth of toys for distribution. The Toy Drive is a joint project of Chabad with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the Sigma Delta Tau sorority. Close to 15 other groups and clubs on campus have joined as co-sponsors.
Operation SAnta
11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, in the Old Union Hall, University Union
The 24th annual Student Association Holiday Drive, "Operation SAnta," is a program that provides offices and organizations with the opportunity to sponsor a family in need. Sponsors are asked to state how many family members they are able to buy gifts for, and the program works to match them up from a list put together by the Binghamton City School District. "They get to go out and buy gifts for the families and wrap them, which is fun for everyone involved," said Francesca Lucia, a student involved with Operation SAnta. "They bring their gifts to our Operation SAnta celebration in December, where they get to meet with members of the Binghamton School District." The gifts are then delivered to the families directly through the schools, Lucia said. "Last year we had a pretty large turnout," Lucia said. "We are hoping to match or exceed that this year."
Helping Hands Food Drive to Benefit CHOW
Every year, the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) hosts its Helping Hands Food Drive to feed the hungry in Broome County. This program, which collects non-perishable food items around campus, provides food to over 30 food pantries and 35 soup kitchens in the area. Also, throughout November, food barrels were placed in various dining halls on campus as part of Sodexo’s Campus Department Challenge. These efforts resulted in a collection of over 770 lbs. of food for CHOW, to use to restock their pantry shelves.
Toys for Tots Campaign
Recently, Binghamton University's Physical Facilities department presented a check for $3,700, along with dozens of toys, to the Toys for Tots campaign. Each year employees hold a number of fund-raising efforts throughout the year, including the annual John Mangino golf tournament. Due to the dedicated efforts of Physical Facilities employees, Binghamton University has become a key contributor to the annual Toys for Tots campaign.
