MEDIA CONTACT: Candace Brasseur USCB Director of Communications and Marketing 843-208-8030 brasse@uscb.edu
USCB Provides Complete Thanksgiving Baskets for 28 Deserving Families in the Lowcountry Nov. 26, 2013
BLUFFTON, SC – The University of South Carolina Beaufort community came together this month to provide Thanksgiving baskets of complete turkey dinners and all the fixings for 28 deserving families affiliated with a parent support group organized by the local nonprofit Child Abuse Prevention Association. By all accounts, the 9th annual Thanksgiving Basket project was a resounding success. Working together, members of the university administration, faculty, staff and student body amassed more than $600 in donations to buy Thanksgiving dinner items for the 28 families. Students raised $140 by selling $1 paper turkeys that were displayed on the windows of the dining hall. They also collected over 400 canned goods to make
available to the families. The project received strong support from Benny Henderson, manager of the New River Crossing Publix at 112 Nickle Plate Road. Henderson’s Publix Super Market not only discounted the cost of the 28 turkeys, it also contributed a $100 gift certificate to the cause. The annual Thanksgiving Basket project was a combined effort involving the Office of Student Life; Paige Castle, the VISTA volunteer coordinator at USCB; the Publix Super Market staff; the Child Abuse Prevention Association; and a host of volunteers representing every element of the university. James Glasson, human services specialist, served as project coordinator. He also purchased the food items. Student volunteers gathered in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Student Life Center Monday morning to remove boxes of food from the bed of Glasson’s pickup truck and sort the items into 28 gift baskets. Each complete basket contained a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, biscuit mix, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. The families could also choose from among the canned vegetables. The baskets were delivered Monday afternoon to Lena Judge, coordinator for the P.S. We Love You program. The families who met CAPA’s criteria were asked to come and pick up their basket. “They started coming in one after the other,” Ms. Judge says. “We gave away all 28 Thanksgiving baskets. It was a blessing, a big blessing.” The P.S. (Parent Support) We Love You program at CAPA provides parent education opportunities and a variety of support services to those who enroll. Besides taking parent education courses, its members perform various community service activities. “It took the cooperation of a lot of people to make the Thanksgiving Basket project a success,” Glasson says. “The response from the administration, the faculty and the staff at the university was amazing. The student support we received was absolutely terrific. That aspect was coordinated by Paige Castle, the VISTA volunteer coordinator. This was a real partnership among all the elements of the university, in cooperation with a local nonprofit organization and a respected vendor in our community.” “All I can say is, it was a blessing,” Ms. Judge says. “Thank you to everyone who helped to make this possible.”
ABOUT USCB Located in the heart of the Carolina Sea Islands, the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) is a baccalaureate member of the University of South Carolina system serving the southeast coast of Georgia and South Carolina. Since 2002, USCB has more than doubled its academic degree programs and its full time equivalent student population, added on-campus housing serving 565, joined the NAIA Sun Conference, and fielded conference and national award winning Sand Shark athletes in nine sports. The university’s two campuses serve a diverse student body of 1,822 students. The Hilton Head Gateway campus in Bluffton, S.C., offers cutting-edge Computational Science and Nursing laboratories and is the home to Sand Shark athletics. The Historic Beaufort campus, located on Beaufort’s downtown waterfront, houses an innovative baccalaureate Studio Art program in close proximity to Beaufort’s many art galleries. USCB offers students an exceptional place to learn and live in an environment focused on growth, preservation and opportunity. For more information about the University of South Carolina Beaufort, please visit www.uscb.edu online or call the university’s Office of Public Information at 843-208-8030.