Millikin student organizations work together on community service project
As winter quickly approaches, it's difficult to think of anyone heading out into the cold weather without a proper coat. With that in mind, Millikin University student organization Shoes to Fill, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the Millikin Big Blue Pantry have come together to host a coat drive for the people served by Oasis Day Center in Decatur, Ill., a facility that helps individuals with housing insecurity.
Millikin University's Shoes to Fill organization is meant to be a mentoring program, but with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines, the group shifted its focus to community service.
Photo courtesy of the Herald & Review
In an interview with the Herald & Review, Kamryn Harris, a junior entrepreneurship major said, "We're just trying to do community service, since we're not allowed to do mentoring right now."
The organizations partnered with Christ United Methodist Church in Decatur to set up donation boxes for people to donate new and unwanted coats.
"The people of Oasis Day Center will be in need, especially with COVID, so we decided to get together and help. We wanted to get the community involved, and that's why we connected with the church," Harris said.
The drive is underway and will continue through Nov. 20.
Rev. Braden Parks, pastor at Christ United Methodist Church, says his congregation has been praying and hoping to find a way to connect with Millikin University.
"It was a natural fit," Parks said. "Our focus is really helping to provide this for people who can't provide for themselves, and also to partner with the community at large and Millikin University, which is a big part of the local community."