Photo Credit: Palmer Society
In this season of giving, Whittier College students have been working to give back to those in need through annual blood drives, toy drives—and, this year, to the Woolsey Fire relief.
Since the Woolsey Fire started earlier this month, it’s burned almost 100,000 acres, destroying homes, businesses, and agricultural land. Three deaths have also been reported. The news was devastating to hear, said Genesis Gil ’20.
“The Woolsey Fire happened so suddenly and, seeing the rapid effect it was having on the community, we knew extra hands were needed,” she said. Knowing that Poet families were being affected, as well, they felt they also needed to help.
The Metaphonian Society, collaborating with the other societies, initiated an effort for Woolsey Fire donations of money and needed items, including water, blankets, diapers, hygiene products, and non-perishable food. The funds are being donated to the firefighters through the Fire Relief Fund and all other items are being delivered to the Dream Center in Los Angeles.
Giving back is rewarding, and seeing her fellow students donating to the relief effort shows Gil, president of the Metaphonians, that her Whittier community is unified and respondent.
“Every time I get a donation, it makes me very happy to know that a firefighter putting their lives at risk to aide the community is being hydrated and helped,” she said. “It makes me so happy to see our community come together to try and help as much as we can.”
The Palmer Society partnered with the Metaphonians to help them table for donations, spread the word, as well as assemble care packages with personalized notes for the Dream Center. The Woolsey Fire hits close to home for society member Kelsey Sherman ’19, who lives near the area and whose friends and neighbors were hit hard by another wildfire last year. She feels better knowing that she’s making other people’s lives a little better.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, students in a social work course also took the initiative to collect food for those in need. The College community dropped off non-perishable food in bins around campus to give to the Homeless Lunch Program at Interfaith Food Center, one of California’s largest food pantries.
The drive gave students in the class hands-on experience with social justice work within the community, Miranda Hidalgo ’20 said. Together, they made a difference for food-insecure families and individuals who, Hidalgo pointed out, could be anyone in your community.
“Food insecurity does not discriminate,” Hidalgo said. “When working with food-insecure populations, it is important to not judge a book by its cover. Food-insecure individuals could be working-class people with families.”
The social work students delivered the donations this past Friday. A second food drive, organized by the Office of Student Engagement, is collecting items through the end of the fall semester.
As the spirit of giving continues, the Student Veteran Organization, in collaboration with the Veteran Success Office, is also collecting unwrapped toys through mid-December to give to Toys for Tots. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve distributes the gifts to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them presents for Christmas.
Iyesha Ferguson '19 contributed to this story.
