In spite of the budget problems faced by Sacramento State, students, staff and faculty have organized efforts to help people in need throughout the Sacramento community this Thanksgiving.

Charitable activities on campus include the Thanksgiving Food Basket Drive, Hearts for Homeless Winter Drive and the Run to Feed the Hungry.

“As a student and a citizen, it is important to be active in the community,” said Alexandria Lopes, senior social work major and activities director for the Bachelor of Social Work Association. “In economic times like this, there are many people in need.”

BSWA is hosting Hearts for Homeless, a winter clothing drive created to donate to Loaves and Fishes, a homeless shelter in downtown Sacramento.

“We feel that right now the issue of homeless is huge in our community, and it’s starting to get cold outside,” Lopes said.

The drive has been collecting blankets, jackets, long-sleeved shirts and pants in bins around campus since Oct. 5, and will continue to collect until Nov. 30.

The Community Service Events, a program of Associated Students Inc., is also seeking the campus’ help this month in order to donate food baskets to local families in need.

Campus departments and individuals were requested to buy a number of nonperishable items to create Thanksgiving dinner baskets for families.

The goal of ASI was to receive more than 60 baskets. This year, 25 baskets were donated, said community service events coordinator for the Student Life and Services Center Ashley Skaggs.

Baskets were decorated Monday and Tuesday by volunteers and will be delivered to families today.

“I love the basket decorating. It is my favorite part of the fundraiser,” Skaggs said.

Dezarae Johnson, manager of the Student Life and Services Center, said if not enough donations are made, the center will be using money from its budget to make sure that identified families in need get the warm meals they were promised.

Recently graduated criminal justice student, Maria Parra, said charitable activities and fundraisers on campus are very important to our community and should have more student involvement.

“It’s a great way for us to give back to the community,” she said. “It feels good to make a change and to help people in need.”

In addition to its own charitable events, Sac State will be participating in the 16th annual Run to Feed the Hungry with a team created by John Kepley, assistant to President Alexander Gonzalez in Public Affairs.

The Run to Feed the Hungry started in 1994 with only 800 runners, who raced Thanksgiving morning to raise money for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

Last year, 28,000 participants attended the event and raised $750,000 for the food bank. Organizers expect to raise more than $800,000 by participants this year.

“This is the first year we have had such highly organized efforts for a Sac State team,” Kepley said.

Kepley urged students, faculty, staff and anyone else interested in running or walking with the team to register. In order to encourage people to sign up, Public Affairs offered team shirts and special parking for runners in lot one.

This year the run will start in front of the J Street entrance to Sac State, and end in a nearby East Sacramento neighborhood.

“The run has started outside the campus doorstep for many years, so it only makes sense that the university has its own team,” Kepley said.

The team has currently raised $2,705 for the food bank from participant fees and donations.

In order to participate, people needed to register before Tuesday night. Donations in the teams name will still be collected.

For more information, contact John Kepley at: (916) 278-4378.

Brittany Bottini can be reached at [email protected].