By Ruth Steinhardt
The George Washington University women’s lacrosse team will collect canned goods, toiletries and other nonperishable donations to donate to area families in need for its sixth annual Colonial Harvest Friday.
The team will assemble laundry baskets of food and personal items to be hand-delivered to families associated with St. Rita's Catholic Church in Alexandria, Va. Remaining canned goods will be donated to The Store, GW’s food pantry for students, and to the Foggy Bottom Food Pantry.
“Growing up in a family that was able to have a nice Thanksgiving every year, it’s so moving to be able to reach out and give another family the opportunity to have that experience,” said team member Adele Wise, a senior at the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
This year, the team hopes to expand the drive from GW athletes to a broader initiative involving non-athletic clubs and Greek organizations.
Organizations wishing to assemble full or partial baskets can find a list of needed items on the team’s Facebook page. Baskets can be dropped off at the Charles E. Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 3, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Individual donors are also encouraged to drop off canned items, nonperishable food, personal hygiene items and toiletries.
Colonial Harvest also accepts monetary donations, which will go toward purchasing a turkey for each family and covering families’ seasonal financial needs.
“It’s always amazing to see how many people want to donate and how interested they are,” said senior Brooke Sands, who, like Ms. Wise, has participated in the drive for the past four years. “We try to make it easy to help.”