WSCC provides support for Day of Giving and A Million Thanks

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — In this season of giving, faculty and staff at Wallace State Community College worked to deliver food, household goods and notes and cards in order to help others have a brighter holiday.
For the first time, the college acted as a drop off point for the A Million Thanks program, which sends letters, notes and cards to active duty military. Wallace State is the only drop off site in the state. During the drive, more than 2,600 pieces of correspondence were collected.
“We had a good turnout,” said Lisa Smith, director of special populations at Wallace State. As word gets out about the program, Smith thinks that number will be even greater next year.
Along with faculty, staff and students providing cards and letters, the college also received some from the community and schools from the Cullman County area and beyond. “We got some from an elementary school in Fort Payne, a company in Georgia and a senior citizen center in Bessemer,” Smith said. The out of town contributors found Wallace State on the A Million Thanks website as their closest location to drop off their cards and letters to soldiers.
Smith said the college would again act as a drop off site for A Million Thanks next year. The collection process usually ends around Nov. 20, to allow time for the cards to be delivered overseas.
The college also participated in the Dec. 1 Day of Giving, collecting toys, books, food and other supplies for a few local charities. Two large deliveries of food were distributed to the Cullman Caring For Kids Food Bank, as well as toy and book donations to Operation Christmas Child, Smith said.
“The Machine Shop and Drafting groups launched a competition between themselves to see who could bring in the most donations,” Smith said. “We had to borrow the cargo van from the college for one delivery, and the next day we had a Tahoe full.”
The Academic Department gathered items for the animal shelter and the Health Science and Student Services divisions collected toiletry items for Hope House in Blount County.
The college delivered seven cases of toiletries to Hope House, where Bro. Bud Jones accepted them for the program that operates a homeless shelter and thrift store, as well as providing substance abuse rehabilitation programs. He told college representatives making the deliver that they were in need of toothpaste at the time. Donations of toothpaste took up more than one case of the college’s donations. “God had answered the prayers for Blount County children,” Jones told them.
“We are very thankful and appreciative of all of the donations and support,” Smith said of all who brought items for the college’s charitable projects.
For more information about Wallace State Community College, visit www.wallacestate.edu or call 256.352.8000 or 866.350.9722.