STUDENT NEWS

SIFE students and part of their £1,000 worth collection of foods.

SIFE Students help Red Cross feed the hungry

Christmas collection at Halls of Residence yields £1000 worth of food

Students from one of Leicester University’s societies, Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), worked together with the British Red Cross in December by collecting items of unused dry food and toiletries donated by students departing for the Christmas period. Boxes and Red Cross bags had been placed within kitchens in halls or at strategic points accompanied with posters a week before the collection to allow the students to sort through their unwanted things and we were very glad to see them brimming with goodies. After being collected and sorted, never had so many packets of noodles and cereals been seen in once place! In fact the array of food was staggering and much more than last year’s estimate of £1000 worth of food was collected.

Many thanks should be given to Alison Mbekeani and Sheila Brucciani who organised this collection last year and approached SIFE Leicester this time round through one of their Business Advisory Board members. Tom James and Belal Kulasy, Co-Presidents of SIFE, happily accepted this project and took it in their stride to make sure all students and staff members were aware of this taking place.

The idea for this collection came from Alison, a former student who was employed in the Halls of Residence, as she had noticed how much food was wasted when left behind at the end of term. As the local Red Cross have been appealing for food for destitute people in Leicester, many of whom are asylum seekers and refugees, it was easy to see what needed to be done. Extra thanks go to all students who helped in the placing and collection of boxes and of course to all students who donated their leftovers which would have benefited many homeless people during the cold Christmas period.

The next collection will take place before the Easter period so please keep your eyes peeled for those all-important boxes and bags!

SIFE Leicester is a student run society part of the global SIFE International network of universities, academic professionals and business executives. Their aim is to create economic opportunities within local communities through the power of business and to change lives. SIFE Leicester has already won SIFE UK’s National Spirit of Enterprise Award and University of Leicester’s Best New Society Award within just a year of forming.

They have many current projects in operation such as the on-campus Farmer’s Market which is held each term and also an international micro-financing project in Ethiopia. Please visit www.sifeleicester.org or contact su-sife@le.ac.uk if you would like to find out more information on joining the society.