Dayton Daily News: Wright State police donate to food pantry for ‘No Shave November’ fundraiser

Wright State police officers let their facial hair grow wild in November in a fundraising effort for the university’s food pantry and delivered their donation just ahead of Thanksgiving.

Officers from the department donated over $2,000 worth of food to the Raider Food Pantry, which is in the Student Union.

“Every year at Thanksgiving we do what’s called Raidersgiving, which is where no Raider eats alone,” Wright State police chief Kurt Holden said. “Today, we want no Raider to ever go hungry. We support the food pantry so that every student during the holiday season that may not have a place to go home to or may not know where their next meal is can get food. They now have plenty of food to come here and continue to eat, focus on their educational studies and enjoy the holidays.”

Wright State dean of students Eric Corbitt said about 40% of the university’s students experience food insecurity, including some of its international students.

“Having folks like the police department and the public safety department support us really helps keep that food inventory up,” Corbitt said. “… It’s an important issue all around, but it’s really obvious when it comes to the holidays like Thanksgiving.”

Over the last seven years, the department has donated about $20,000 in groceries and money to the food pantry. Officers delivered several cartloads of bottled water and nonperishable food, including instant macaroni and cheese, canned soup and vegetables and cereal, among other items.

Holden was raised in foster care in the Dayton area and is a Wright State graduate.

“Food scarcity is a real thing,” Holden said. “… We live in one of the greatest countries in the world, and yet people still don’t know where their next meal might come from. To be able to provide that for our community is extremely important. I think it really shows how much we care about our students, our people.”

Read the full article at daytondailynews.com.