Excelsior University Snacks for Students Drive Concludes
Final Deliveries of Classroom Snack to Albany High and Troy High Schools
[Albany, New York] – Excelsior University’s community engagement group partnered with two local high schools for the 2022-23 school year to collect snacks for students to help combat food insecurity in the classroom. The Snacks for Students drive concluded this week with final drop-offs to Albany High School and Troy High Schools. The drive ran from October through May, with Excelsior staff conducting snack deliveries every month.
“Sometimes students don’t get here in time for breakfast, sometimes they are here for a bunch of hours because they have afterschool stuff, or they are growing, or diabetic,” said Erin Reeve, teacher at Albany High School. “It has helped in so many ways. There have been a lot of kids impacted.”
Food insecurity can impact the health and well-being of students as well as their academic performance. Excelsior staff donated items such as granola bars, breakfast bars, fruit snacks, bottled water, and other snacks, and distributed them to schools for teachers to hand out in their classrooms as needed.
“Excelsior makes things much easier for us throughout the course of the school year, and we can’t thank you enough for choosing Troy as one of your schools,” said Rich Hurley, assistant principal at Troy High School. “We look forward to building a long relationship with you.”
Throughout the year, the drive impacted dozens of classrooms and over a thousand students between the two school districts. Excelsior is looking forward to the opportunity to continue to partner with local schools in the future to combat food insecurity.
“The community engagement group at Excelsior University supports our local community in many ways,” said Zachary Patterson, chair of Excelsior’s community engagement group. “The partnerships with Albany High School and Troy High School were exceptionally meaningful as we were able to provide a basic need through the snack donations that impacts student’s ability to focus and engage in learning and overall supporting their educational experience.”
To view the b-roll with sound bites, visit here.
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Media Contact Excelsior University:
Erin Coufal, ecoufal@excelsior.edu, 518-608-8498
ABOUT EXCELSIOR UNIVERSITY
Excelsior University is an accredited, not-for-profit online institution focused on helping adults complete their degrees and advance their careers. Excelsior contributes to the development of a diverse, educated, and career-ready society by valuing lifelong learning with an emphasis on serving individuals historically underrepresented in higher education. Founded in 1971, Excelsior meets students where they are — academically and geographically — removing obstacles to the educational goals of adults pursuing continuing education and degree completion. Our pillars include innovation, flexibility, academic excellence, and integrity.
