Mary Kate Berger and Luke Phillips pack boxes at the 11th annual Adopt A Basket in the Union ballroom. Photo by Meredith Parker. |
Adopt A Basket was started 11 years ago by faculty members
of the University of Mississippi to give back to the Oxford community during
the holidays. Since then, it has become a student-led and student-organized
event sponsored by the Associated Student Body and the Office of the Dean ofStudents. This year the annual effort to give back to the community attracted
an array of organizations on campus like the UM Athletic Association, Student
Housing, and Faculty Senate, as well as businesses and organizations off campus
like Volunteer Oxford and Aramark.
For two
days, Adopt a Basket asks volunteers to collect items and pack them into boxes,
so they can be delivered to deserving families in the Oxford and Lafayette
community. Each basket contains specific pantry staples, including cornmeal and
sugar, as well as canned goods, potatoes and a gift card to a local grocery
store. Basket recipients are identified through campus offices and departments,
as well as through local community organizations, including Doors of Hope, More
than a Meal and Interfaith Compassion Ministry. Although some boxes are
collectively taken back to the organization to be passed out, some boxes are
delivered individually by Ole Miss students, which gives volunteers like Luke
Phillips, a junior public policy leadership major, the opportunity to see his
work put into action. “You can see how you are helping the community and who
you are helping and that personal connection is what makes Adopt A Basket so
special,” Phillips said.
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