Jeffrey Pellegrino (left), director of Kent State’s Faculty
Professional Development Center, collects food donations
with graduate students Juliana Robine (standing) and
Jenna Amerine from Kent State’s College of Public Health.
The college’s second annual food drive, to benefit Kent
Social Services’ food pantry (The Lord’s Pantry), resulted
in more than 3,500 donations.

Kent State University’s College of Public Health completed its second annual food drive to benefit the Kent Social Service’s food pantry (The Lord’s Pantry) with more than 3,500 donations.

“It was inspiring to witness the generosity throughout Kent,” says Amy Lyzen, a student in the public health class that conducted the food drive. “We had people returning from the store just loading us up with multiple bags full of donations, and apartment complexes lined with items. I’m thrilled to be a part of this project.”

The food drive was organized by graduate students enrolled in the College of Public Health’s Programs: Planning, Implementation and Evaluation (HPM 53007) class. These students collected donations through a community “bag drop.” Assistant Professor Deric Kenne, Ph.D., who teaches the class, is pleased with the growth of the program over last year.

“Building on last year’s accomplishments, this year’s students were able to collect nearly 1,000 more items through the community bag drop this year,” Kenne says.

This project continues to be the food pantry’s largest one-time, annual donation.

The Kent State students and volunteers distributed almost 2,000 paper bags donated from the ACME grocery store in Franklin Township last month and then returned to the same areas of Kent a few days later to collect donations and deliver them to the food pantry. Kenne, the students of the College of Public Health and Kent Social Services all express their gratitude for the community’s generosity.

“The relationships with the city, the media, Kent Social Services, local businesses and Kent State drove this project to a second year of success,” Kenne says. “We look forward to working with each organization again next year to continue to build the network of support within our community.”

Kent State’s College of Public Health was established in 2009 to educate and train students to meet the current and projected shortage of public health professionals in Ohio and the nation. One of only two colleges of public health in Ohio, it is the first to offer a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Academic programs integrate theory and practice to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to address the health challenges of the 21st century.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Public Health, visit www.kent.edu/publichealth.