Published November 06, 2014
Freshmen at the University of Louisiana at Monroe are making a happier holiday season
for many homebound senior citizens in Ouachita Parish by providing over 1,400 canned
goods to the Ouachita Council on Aging (OCA) pantry, and sending care packages to
seniors in need.
Over 1,000 students in the freshman class are part of the “University Seminar 1001”
course, designed to help students in the academic and social transition from high
school to college.
During the course, students participate in a community service project, geared toward
teaching them the importance of giving back and volunteering in the community.
Students deliver baskets to homebound seniors
In addition to collecting canned goods, the class sponsors homebound senior citizens
that benefit from the “Meals on Wheels” daily meal program sponsored by the OCA.
The students collect items and then prepare a care basket of snacks, household goods,
fans, and other goodies to be delivered.
The ULM freshmen class has partnered with the Ouachita Council on Aging for the past
six years to make a tremendous impact on senior citizens in this community.
As part of the community project, the students also sponsor a quilt raffle. Each year,
the project has netted around $1,000.
Most students that buy raffle tickets donate the ticket to OCA which will then give
the prize to a senior citizen.
