Organization raises nearly $1,100 in donations and contributes more than 20 hours of volunteer service

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

This week Rice University’s Graduate Student Association (GSA) concluded its second annual “10 Days of Service” initiative, its biggest community service project of the calendar year. The organization raised nearly $1,100 in donations for charities throughout Houston and contributed more than 20 hours of service to the Houston Food Bank.

“The Graduate Student Association has long been devoted to service within and outside the Rice community,” GSA President Sumedh Warudkar said. “We’re very grateful to everyone who contributed.”

The GSA kicked off the donation drive Dec. 2 with the Holiday Service Party designed to raise awareness about their service efforts. Thanks to donations from students and Chevron, the event raised a total of $254, which was donated to the Houston Food Bank. Over the next nine days, the organization collected 242 cans of food for the Houston Food Bank, 12 coats for the DePelchin Center, 59 toys for Toys for Tots and one blanket for Star of Hope and contributed 21 hours of service to the Houston Food Bank. The Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology had the greatest number of contributions, followed by the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics.

“Although the program is only in its second year, it’s off to great a start,” GSA Community Service Chairwoman Erin O’Brien said. “It’s a great demonstration of the graduate student body’s commitment to the Houston community.”

For more information on Rice’s GSA, visit http://gsa.rice.edu.