Central College students and staff will team up this November and early December with the annual Season of Gratitude program, bringing service and generosity to campus and beyond.

The community is invited to participate in a campus-wide Food Drive that will run from Monday, November 17th to Friday, November 21st. Donation boxes will be placed throughout campus. On the 21st, the KNIA/KRLS Lil’ Big Red Radio will collect contributions and deliver them to the Pella Community Food Shelf. Additionally, Central students and staff will be holding a Winter Clothing Drive, where coat closet collection boxes will be available on campus for donations of gloves, scarves, sweatshirts and sweaters. Donated clothing will be available to students and refugees to stay warm this winter.

In addition to the Food and Winter Clothing Drives, Central will take part in Giving Tuesday on December 2nd. Giving Tuesday marks the beginning of the charitable season, and is a day for individuals, communities and organizations to unite in support of nonprofits. Donations can be made at ignite.central.edu/givingtuesday. On campus, students will also host a blood drive from 10 am to 1 pm in the BMW rooms of the Maytag Student Center.

Throughout the month, Central students will engage in service opportunities, including:

• Volunteering with the Urban Bike Ministry in Des Moines, packaging and delivering food to individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Celebrating World Kindness Day by creating cards for seniors in Pella and veterans and decorating gratitude jars filled with notes of thankfulness and affirmations from friends and family.
• Crafting mats from recycled plastic grocery bags and tying fleece blankets for those in need.
• Participating in an Angel Tree service trip organized by Campus Ministries, where students will spend an evening in Des Moines playing games, doing crafts and serving children whose parents are incarcerated.