The Office of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation teamed with the Office of Alumni Affairs at the College of Staten Island to donate hundreds of pounds of canned goods and non-perishable food items to Project Hospitality. Collecting the goods for over a month, the campus-wide collection effort yielded nearly 400 pounds of goods delivered first-hand by members of both the Athletics and Alumni team on campus to Project Hospitality collection headquarters in Stapleton.
The group dropped off what seemed like an endless count of bags stuffed to the brim with canned goods, cereals, and dried food items. The collection effort, principally organized by Gloria Castellucci, chair of CSI’s Alumni Student Interaction Program, coincided with Project Hospitality’s plea for donations, as supplies have been at a premium over recent months.
Founded in 1982, Project Hospitality is a community-based, not-for-profit agency established as an interfaith volunteer emergency response to the needs of homeless and hungry persons in Staten Island, New York. Its location in Stapleton alone services over 300 needy families on a biweekly basis, and the organization has mobile pantries that deliver to churches and group homes monthly. On a tour of the facility, members of the CSI collection effort learned that the Soup Kitchen housed within the Stapleton location can serve anywhere from 80 to 200 individuals weekly.
“It felt really good to help those in need, especially in times like these,” said Stefanie Plust, who helped spearhead the collection effort through CSI’s Alumni Office. “We had a really great turnout of food and cans, and we’re going to try to continue working with Project Hospitality to support them year-round.”
The trip to Project Hospitality was the second for CSI Athletics, who saw its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee organize a holiday canned goods drive in December. The second go-around has plans in motion for subsequent visits.
“It’s a moving experience to know you are making a difference,” said David Pizzuto, Associate Athletic Director. “We recognize that Project Hospitality does so much for so many, and we want to make our trips here more frequent and more serviceable to help our friends and neighbors on Staten Island.”
Anyone who is interested in learning more about Project Hospitality, or becoming a volunteer, can call Reverend Will Nichols at 718.448.1544. To learn more on how to contribute to CSI’s ongoing canned goods drive, please call 718.982.3160.
