Event organizer and social work senior Olivia Heath said many of the student parents are international students and can’t go home for the holiday season. 

“A lot of times you look for familial bases and knowing that you can't go home at these times, I think it's important to extend your hand,” Heath said.

Kimberly Steed-Page, director of the Student Parent Resource Center, said it’s exciting to witness students working together to make a real impact on campus. 

“Advocacy and movement best happens on campus when it's from the students, so it's exciting to see students pursuing their advocacy and really helping out their peers,” Steed-Page said. “In real time, they're going to see the impact that they're making and how leading a drive can go a long way to support their peers.”

Heath said the timing of the drive is important as it coincides with Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. In addition to the food drive, the group has planned a roundtable discussion about food accessibility, a basket making event to assemble all of the donations and an educational cooking demonstration.

Steed-Page said these donations will help support student parent success, as they can focus more on their school work and worry less about budgeting for groceries. 

“Everybody here on campus has the same goal in mind,” Steed-Page said. “If you're enrolled at MSU, you're obviously going to get your degree and be successful. Students helping students is the best way to get that done.”