Students Deliver Food, Clothing, and Furniture to Manchester Residents

If attention spans and academic motivation wavered as summer vacation loomed near, the Benedictine spirit was one aspect of Saint Anselm College that remained strong when 20 students delivered food, clothing, and furniture to charities and needy families in Manchester, N.H. through the Food, Clothing and Furniture (FCF) Drive.

After Stefanie Iannalfo '10 headed a successful food drive two years ago, Iannalfo, staff members, and fellow students expanded the donation process to include clothing and furniture last spring. This year, even the burden of final exams did not  deter 20 Saint Anselm students from postponing their summer break in order to participate in the second annual FCF Drive.

May 4-8, cardboard collection boxes within every dormitory served as alternatives to trash barrels for unwanted belongings as students packed to go home, while U-Haul trucks made rounds throughout campus to transport unwanted furniture. For the second year in a row donated items – including fifty couches – filled underneath Grappone stadium.

May 9th and 10th were spent delivering the donations. Volunteers brought toys, clothing, furniture, and nonperishable food to six charitable organizations (including Families in Transition, Liberty House, and City Welfare), delivering items according to the needs of each site. Additional donations were given to over 20 families, many refugees, living in Manchester. Molly Sherry '10, an FCF volunteer, described the process as "exciting and grueling."

While the FCF Drive provides needy people with an improved quality of life, participants receive a humbling and eye-opening experience. Iannalfo  emphasized the importance of understanding that "poverty exists only blocks away."

The most memorable moment for Iannalfo was visiting a dingy apartment and being greeted by a 10-year-old girl, left in charge of seven younger siblings. The condition of the home was disturbing, but volunteers brightened its interior with toys, a couch, and a futon bed, which were all immediately put to use.

Sherry said the grateful reactions of the families made all the stress of preparing the drive well worth it, noting, "Their graciousness for the little we are able to do for them really puts into perspective what is important in life."

Iannalfo believes that the FCF Drive offers more than material stability – it offers hope. She reflects, "If you think of what makes your home
home, its family, food, clothes and furniture. These people only survive with the first of these three, so what kind of home do they have?"

Thanks to the combined efforts of donators and deliverers at St. A's, many families are provided with the foundation necessary to establish a stable lifestyle. However, the drive does not only benefit donation recipients. For volunteers, it demonstrates the satisfaction of giving, puts personal values into perspective, and allows students to tangibly experience the power of hope.

Photos courtesy of Father Mathias. See more at his flickr stream.

Photos from Top to Bottom:

Photo One: Allie Riley '09 and Meg Wood '10 with children during the FCF Drive. 

Photo Two: Teresa Scalzi '12 and Lauren Szablak '10 distribute toys to children out of a UHaul truck.

Photo Three: The 2009 FCF Drive volunteers.