Thanks to an outpouring of support from the College community on Giving Tuesday, NC has raised more than $26,000 to help students battling food insecurity.
This year’s Giving Tuesday campaign, held on December 3, raised $26,110 for the Nourishing Minds Fund – which surpassed its $25,000 goal. Run by the Niagara College Student Administrative Council, Nourishing Minds helps thousands of students every year through its grocery gift card and Rise and Shine breakfast programs.
“Giving Tuesday was a resounding success and a perfect example of the power of collective giving,” said Emily O’Connor. “Because of the support from community partners like FirstOntario, as well as faculty, staff, alumni and friends, we were able to accomplish our goal of raising over $25,000 for Nourishing Minds.”
In addition to online donations, community partner FirstOntario Credit Union boosted the College’s 2024 Giving Tuesday campaign with a $12,500 donation.
NC Development Officer Emily O’Connor (left) and NCSAC President Dipal Patel (right) stand with volunteers from FirstOntario Jim Mancuso, Jennifer McEachern, Kelly Taylor-McNeil and Christine Susa.
“We know food insecurity is a growing concern and it impacts people across our communities. There are too many people who are forced to go without, and we know young people and students are among the most vulnerable,” said Joanne Battaglia, Senior Vice-President, Marketing, Communications and Community Partnerships. “Access to healthy foods helps fuel learning and we’re proud to support Niagara College in this initiative. Our hope is that other community-minded organizations will join us and support this valuable work.”
A small group of volunteers from FirstOntario Credit Union kicked off Giving Tuesday with a visit to the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake where they helped to serve a hot breakfast to students as part of the Rise and Shine breakfast program.
“To have the Blue Wave Volunteers from FirstOntario on campus to help at the Rise and Shine Breakfast was also a great way to show our students how breakfasts like that are funded and to highlight amazing donors who are actively helping to fight insecurity at NC,” said O’Connor.
News of this year’s donation was applauded by NCSAC.
“We get excited whenever we find out Nourishing Minds is the focus of a fundraising initiative. We appreciate every dollar raised, no matter how vast or small the outcome is,” said NCSAC Marketing Communications Manager Andy Hall. “That said, to find out that NC’s Giving Tuesday campaign, in partnership with FirstOntario, raised a tremendous $26,000 is incredibly heartwarming.
“To also know that every single dollar raised will directly go to helping students, whether it is a bite to eat through our Rise & Shine Breakfast program or a grocery gift card at their most troubling time … we cannot begin to thank the NC community for their generous support of our programs.”
Since 2020, more than $80,000 has been raised for Nourishing Minds through Giving Tuesday support.
For more details visit NC’s Giving Tuesday web page at donate.niagaracollege.ca/givingtuesday/.
Rise and Shine breakfasts are held at both Niagara campuses three days a week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – from September to April, providing students with nutritious hot meals or takeaway options on their way to class; while the grocery gift cards program assists students with food insecurity in need of emergency funding.
For more information about the Nourishing Minds Fund, visit yourncsac.ca/nourishingminds.
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Giving Tuesday: Nourishing Minds one donation at a time on Dec. 3
