Ohio Northern University will hold a drive-through food drive on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The food drive will take place in the ONU parking lot next to Rite Aid at the corner of Main Street and College Avenue.

All non-perishable food items are welcome, and particular needs are canned soup, canned chicken, boxed potatoes, peanut butter, dry pasta, toilet paper, paper towels, cereal and Ramen noodles.

All donations will go to the Ada Food Pantry.

Event is student-led initiative
The food drive is a student-led initiative put on by ONU’s Religious Life staff. It began with a shared desire to serve the local community in the midst of the pandemic. 

“This project began by Religious Life staff wanting to figure out a way to still give back to the community during this crazy time,” says student Emma Prusha, a triple major in religion, public relations and political science.

“We were told that the food pantry had been pretty depleted over the last few months and were encouraged to use this as a service project that could be done while following all COVID-19 guidelines.”

Prusha has been instrumental in planning the event – promoting it among ONU students, faculty and staff; crafting social media content; and recruiting volunteers.

In order to hold the event, Religious Life staff had to go through an approval process to ensure all COVID-19 guidelines will be followed as put forth by the university.

The safety of both the campus community and the Ada community is of utmost importance in putting on the event. 

The food drive is just one of many examples exhibiting Ohio Northern’s commitment to serving others. Each year, approximately 1,500 ONU students are engaged in about 50,000 hours of community service in their college home. For Prusha, service opportunities have added so much to her well-rounded experience at ONU in a way that nothing else can.

“Service opportunities are one of the best things that students can take hold of. They help me to get out of my head and remind me that there is more to life than school and myself,” said Prusha.

“I love ONU and Ada and giving back to those that make this place feel like home is a supportive, easy way for me to show how thankful I am for the opportunity to be here.

"Service opportunities definitely help students grow into their own person, just as much as academics do.”