City Mayor Endorses SIFE's Hunger-Relief Effort
Published 04.28.2009
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Just days from its Thursday deadline and impressively at 85 percent of its lofty goal, a Penn College student organization got a pep talk from Williamsport Mayor Gabriel J. Campana as it continues its food drive to aid the area's needy. The mayor attended a Students in Free Enterprise meeting, applauding the group for working so diligently for the economic betterment of its neighbors. "Too often, the media concentrate on the bad choices that our young people make," Campana said. "I have hope for this city, with young people who step up to the plate and make a difference in their community." SIFE is no stranger to City Hall, helping with last year's downtown Holiday Parade and this month's Easter egg hunt in Brandon Park. Outgoing chapter President Dustin R. Derr; his successor, Kaitlyn M. Kennedy; and SIFE adviser Dennis R. Williams summarized the "Let's Can Hunger" effort, held in conjunction with the Campbell Soup Co. Despite starting barely two weeks ago, the SIFE chapter has amassed a total of 8,500 nonperishables toward the 10,000-item target, including a "sizeable" donation from the local Kellogg Co. plant and contributions from its own members. The collection is even garnering national attention, Williams said: When SIFE headquarters recently "Googled" to see which campuses were involved with the food drive, a PCToday article about the Penn College chapter was the first to appear under the search results. WBRE-TV's Jeremy Deebel stopped by the mayor's office to talk about the SIFE effort; that report aired Tuesday on Channel 28.