Some campus groups are teaming up with Sparty’s Convenience Stores and students to raise money through the month of April for victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Students have the opportunity to help in any of the Sparty’s stores, either by donating to a coin canister or by opting to purchase a $1 or $5 paper badge. The badges, featuring the names of students who have donated, will be displayed on the wall at each participating Sparty’s.
The Council of Graduate Students, the Residence Halls Association and other student governing groups combined efforts to create the relief project.
“I would go back and look at the large international presence that MSU has,” said Stefan Fletcher, president of COGS. “MSU has a commitment to the international community.”
Japan was hit March 11 by an earthquake and ensuing tsunami off its northeastern coast. The country continues to struggle with reconstruction amid concerns about a nuclear plant.
“If you talk about accessbility to students, Sparty’s is a good partner,” Fletcher said. “Sparty’s kindly worked with us to get the project up and running as quickly as possible.”
The campaign — which started March 28 and will run until the end of April — already has raised more than $1,000, said Bill Kost, the associate director of Retail Food Services.
“I believe our customers are generous,” Kost said. “We feel fortunate to just be that conduit where (students) can donate and help facilitate that good nature.”
COGS pledged at the March 16 meeting to match funds raised by the campaign of up to $1,000. Fletcher said the National Panhellenic Council has pledged $500.
“We’ve already worked through the matching funds,” Fletcher said. “I thank the leadership of those organizations for collaborating and partnering with us.”
RHA spokesperson Emily Tschirhart said RHA has pledged, along with COGS, to match up to $1,000 to donate to the campaign.
“While we are students on campus, we are aware that this is a global collaboration,” she said. “Everyone should contribute when they’re able to, and we wanted to come and do our part.”
Kost said although a lot of money already has been raised, it’s important students continue to give.
“We felt that we wanted to really get behind it for more than just a week because this is obviously a tragedy that Japan is going to take a long time to recover from,” he said.
Elementary education junior Mary Simon said she thinks Sparty’s is an effective outlet for students to use when donating to such a cause.
“I feel like we should give as much support as we can,” she said. “Even though you might not feel like your dollar matters, it does make a difference.”
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