Community Service Office

Stephanie Kurtzman, director of the Community Service Office and associate director of the Gephardt Institute for Public Service at Washington University in St. Louis, and LuAnn Oros, community consultant on hunger and homelessness in the Community Service Office, recently were recognized by Operation Food Search as important food drive partners.

The goal of the campus PB&Joy food drive is to help feed 135,000 hungry children. Campus Kitchen, which boasts 275 WUSTL student volunteers and serves 2,250 meals annually, is one of many organizations that depends on Operation Food Search.

PB&Joy, WUSTL’s annual food drive, is looking for students, staff and faculty to assist in this year’s effort to collect kid-friendly foods for 135,000 St. Louis-area children.

The website My St. Louis encourages students to get off campus and explore St. Louis’ neigborhoods and attractions. The site also offers a look at St. Louis politics, history and culture.

Service First,one of Washington University’s biggest and most beloved community service programs, returns Aug. 31. Some 1,1oo first-year students plus many more staff and faculty will paint murals, pull weeds and organize libraries at 12 St. Louis schools.

Art and community building in St. Louis is the next social issue to be explored in “St. Louis Up Close,” a series sponsored by WUSTL’s Gephardt Institute for Public Service and the Community Service Office. “Art and Community Building: Cherokee Street and Beyond,” will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 in the Liberman Graduate Center, DUC 300.

This year, members of the WUSTL community can lend a hand to the many St. Louisans who find themselves homeless – and freezing cold. The Community Service Office is again partnering with the St. Louis Winter Outreach team, and there are a number of ways WUSTL community members can get involved.

Blood drives take place at eight convenient locations across all Washington University in St. Louis campuses. The next blood drive is Jan. 29. The drives are offered during morning, afternoon and evening hours.

WUSTL is once again partnering with Operation Food Search to coordinate the 2nd annual campus-wide food drive, PB&Joy. Last year, the university collected nearly 3 tons of food. The campaign runs from Thursday, April 5, through Monday, April 16, and all faculty, staff and students are urged to participate. Drop-off locations are located in 35 areas across the university’s four campuses.

Washington University’s final blood drive for the academic year will take place Wednesday, April 4, at a variety of locations and times. All students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to participate in this effort to replenish the region’s blood supply.