As the holiday season approaches, the Associated Student Body is working to ensure the men and women who help keep the University of Mississippi running can enjoy Thanksgiving with their families.
The 23rd annual Adopt-a-Basket program is accepting monetary donations to assist staff members in the Department of Facilities Management. Donations can be dropped off at the ASB office on the third floor of the Ole Miss Student Union through Nov. 17. Donors can also make contributions online.
“Our college experience would look completely different if the Grove remained trashed after football games,” said Kennedy Marrs, a senior Southern studies major from Bentonville, Arkansas, and ASB director of philanthropy. “This is our way that we can give back, to remember how much they do for us.”
Each basket costs $70 and includes a $25 gift card to Larson’s Cash Saver for purchasing perishables such as meat. Giving levels are $35 for half a basket, $70 for a full basket, $140 for two baskets, $210 for three baskets and $700 for ten baskets.
The program stands out among the university’s charitable initiatives because it directly supports Ole Miss employees and their families, said Olivia Gainey, ASB director of community service and a junior communication sciences and disorders and business management major.
“I think it is special that Ole Miss students are able to give back like this to help our staff,” said Gainey, of Madison. “I think it is important to do something like this for the people who help make our college experience better.”
The program shifted away from collecting food donations this year to focus solely on monetary contributions. The change allows organizers to purchase food in bulk and helps stretch donations further, Marrs said.
The ASB is working with the Department of Facilities Management to get an exact number of baskets needed, but Marrs estimates about 80 will be requested. The campaign has a goal of raising $5,600, which could grow if more baskets are requested. Last year, the ASB assembled 196 baskets for families in need.
Any funds raised beyond the goal will help support Grove Grocery or future Adopt-a-Basket efforts.
Students, faculty and staff interested in volunteering can help assemble baskets at 6 p.m. Nov. 17 in the Student Union Ballroom.
