Every year since 1993, JSC’s SERVE program has helped families in need celebrate the Thanksgiving holidays by collecting donations to raise over $1,500 to put together 72 baskets . They work with the Johnson Food Shelf to see who needs food and how many baskets they need.

“The purpose of the Thanksgiving Basket Project is to assist the Johnson Food Shelf in providing meals for families in need in the local area,” says SERVE office assistant Calleen Ferris. “On our part, we do a lot of the fundraising to make money to go get the food and we will be assembling all the boxes and bringing them over to the food shelf where they can be distributed. We calculate about how much it takes to put together a basket, and then multiply [by the amount of people]. So this year, we are doing 72 baskets and it’s $20 on average to put together a basket.”

To determine how many baskets they need, they have sign ups which help create just the right number of baskets that the people in Johnson need.

“Families come in and sign up if they know if they need [a Thanksgiving basket],” says Andie Flavel, graduate assistant of leadership and services. “They base their number off how many people sign up and then add on to that.”

The donations they help collect don’t just go towards helping put together food baskets, but also help continue the work of the Johnson food shelf.

“We donate all of the baskets through JSC,” said Ferris. “We are the ones that make it possible for the basket project to happen. Along with the baskets, we will donate all of the money left over and it will go directly to them. Last year, they used it to help purchase another fridge for their building, which is currently holding the 72 turkeys that we could barely fit in it. On top of all the food donations, we give money donations that allow them to have other projects.”

SERVE helps year round also by helping with stocking and unpacking for the Johnson Food Shelf.

“The first Tuesday of every month, we go over and help unload the food bank truck and help them stock their shelves,” said Ferris. “That’s something that we will do year round just because the two ladies that run it are a little bit on the older side and they have a harder time lifting the boxes, so we go over there and help them.”

Rebecca Bingham, co-chair of fundraising for Badger Alternative Breaks, has seen first-hand what the effects of working with the Johnson Food Shelf have been over the past couple of years.

“It’s about the same every year,” she said. “I was able to help out and bring the donations down to the food shelf [last year]. It was really cool in seeing how grateful the people are, that they were getting these donations. That was an incredible experience, but it really is just a lot of people coming together and volunteering, trying to help people in need. I think that is a great experience.”