Dear NMC students, faculty and staff:
I hope your fall semester is off to a strong start. As the fall colors peak and the leaves begin to fall, I hope that you’re looking forward to the Thanksgiving break as much as I am. As we prepare for this important time of connection and gratitude, I’m asking your help to make sure everyone can enjoy this meaningful tradition.
For the twelfth annual year, Kristy McDonald’s Professional Communications class is partnering with the NMC Food Pantry and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan to donate to 175 families in the Traverse City community. Boxes–each of which feeds approximately six people–will be distributed at the NMC gym on November 24.
If you are enrolled at NMC as a student (part-time or full-time), or are a faculty or staff member who could use a meal, you can apply to receive a full Thanksgiving meal for you and your family. The process will be confidential and convenient. The boxes also provide support in the days following the holiday, easing any uncertainty families might have.
By donating $10 or more at nmc.edu/give during our month-long drive, donors will have the chance to win exciting prizes, including: a two-night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge and a $250 hotel credit, a six-course wine dinner for two, brunch for two at Aerie (Grand Traverse Resort), and a lunch for two at Lobdell’s. (Choose the amount, select “designate my gift to other,” and type in “Thanks For Giving.”) Donors can only enter the prize drawing once. Winners will be announced after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Community members also have the option to donate at a spooky glow skate event hosted by our class on October 25 between 6 and 8 p.m. at the Howe Ice Arena in the Traverse City Civic Center. Admission will be $10 to enter and $5 to rent ice skates. Costumes encouraged.
The final option to assist is to donate peanut butter or granola bars in their marked red bins, found in NMC’s Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, Parsons-Stulen Building, and the Great Lakes Campus.
With your help, we can ensure every Hawk Owl enjoys a meaningful and memorable Thanksgiving.
Nick