Thanksgiving Baskets

Everyone could use a helping hand around the holiday season, especially families who are in need. Each Thanksgiving, Ouachita students, faculty and staff provide baskets of food to families in need in the Arkadelphia community. Approximately 100 Ouachita volunteers are involved in bringing food and hand-delivering the baskets to about 50  families in the community.

This project was launched November of 2006 after the government had decreased food stamps for some of our community members. The Elrod Center called upon the university to respond to the needs of their community. Through the university's generosity and compassion that year, the Elrod Center was able to give 30 families in Arkadelphia a traditional Thanksgiving meal with a turkey and all the items needed to complete the meal. Each year since then, the campus has continued this rich tradition of providing and delivering baskets of food for families. A special thank you to Sodexo dining services for their assistance in collecting food donations.

The Elrod Center works closely with Lighthouse Ministries to identify families who are in need. The baskets go directly to elderly individuals, single parent households and individuals and families faced with unemployment or other circumstances beyond their control.

For more information

Judy Duvall, director of the Elrod Center
duvallj@obu.edu // (870) 245-5320