A food drive will be held from Nov. 17 to Dec. 12 hosted by Ashland University’s Social Work Program and club. The drop off location is set to be the lobby of the Dwight Schar College of Education.
“The food drive idea came to us because of the freeze in snap benefits being provided to people who received government assistance for food,” said Carly George, clinical assistant professor in AU’s social work program.
On Oct. 1, the federal government of the United States entered a shutdown at midnight after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year, which began that day.
The shutdown led to a pause in SNAP benefits, causing some states to issue partial payments and others to report delays in benefit distribution. SNAP benefits are a monthly food assistant from the U.S. government for low-income households, helping them buy groceries to maintain good nutrition.
“Whether or not those are coming back, which it sounds like they will be, we still know that there is a lot of food insecurity in Ashland County, and we’ve heard from a couple local pantries about how low they are on things,” said George.
All donations from the food drive will go to Associated Charities in Ashland County. The Social Work Program and Club plan to drop donations off before Thanksgiving and then again before Christmas.
All non-perishable foods will be accepted, but they are specifically looking for items such as egg noodles, saltines, soups, canned tuna and chicken, instant oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly, SpaghettiOs and ravioli.
“When you’re buying stuff, think about if you get Kraft mac and cheese, it calls for butter and milk; not everyone has butter and milk,” said George.
This is the first year AU’s Social Work Program and Club are hosting a food drive, and they’re excited to help.
“I truly believe that we are all connected and that a community that thrives helps individuals to thrive,” said George. “A lot of people are in a situation where they’re one paycheck or accident away from needing assistance from other people. If we’re blessed enough to be able to give assistance to other people, we should.”
For more information on the food drive, or to ask questions, contact Carly George at [email protected].
