Shoeboxes have taken on new significance for students in University College Professor Molly Mead's "Innovative Non-Profits ExCollege class."
The students are organizing a shoebox-centric university-to-university relief effort with Grambling State University (GSU) in Louisiana.
Through "No Shoes Just Stuff to Use," created by the students as a class project, the students will collect toiletries and other household supplies in plastic shoeboxes for victims whose homes were destroyed and who are living temporarily on the GSU campus.
GSU is housing 1,500 students and their family members along with over 1,000 orphaned babies and toddlers. While GSU is able to provide shelter for these victims, the university is in dire need of everyday supplies.
Junior Sonja Good Stefani, who aspires to run an orphanage in a third world country, enrolled in Mead's course to gain experience formulating a business plan that would solve a social problem.
"I didn't realize how relevant this class was to my life goals until the first day, when [the professor] described the projects we would be doing," Stefani said. "This is a way to do the things I want to do as part of my schooling, instead of in addition to schooling."
During the first week of class, Good Stefani received an e-mail from a family friend alerting her to GSU's need for supplies and publicizing a shoebox drive started by a GSU graduate.
"Since the hurricane I've been feeling a sort of unrest," she said. "I was angry at the lack of immediate help the people of New Orleans received, but at the same time, I felt like I couldn't do anything," she said. "For the first week, I was glued to the TV, trying to decide which organization was the best to donate to. But a monetary donation didn't suffice [to calm] the feeling of discontent."
Good Stefani realized the assignment to create a business plan was a perfect opportunity for Tufts students to provide concrete support for hurricane victims. She teamed up with two other classmates: senior Grant Sharpe, and Jennifer Near, a visiting senior from Tulane University. Together they began planning an on-campus relief effort.
The group will provide Tufts fraternities, sororities and other interested University-related groups with plastic shoeboxes and a list of necessary household items. With a goal of filling one shoebox for every ten students, the "No Shoes Just Stuff to Use" trio aims to provide Tufts students with a simple, affordable way to make a significant difference in victims' lives.
The group is organizing the collection process by dividing the suggested supply list into different categories of potential end users, by age group, gender, and function.
As soon as the boxes are filled and checked, they will be shipped to GSU. Students can donate goods in shoeboxes located in every dorm. Monetary donations, which will help pay for the shipping, are also being accepted.
The team would like to send at least 500 boxes by Oct. 7.
The shoebox drive stands out from other hurricane relief fundraisers because it is student run and involves more than monetary donation, Good Stefani said.
"It's more personal than simply sending money to an umbrella organization, although I do support those efforts as well," she said. "I needed to get more personal, and I'm hoping other Tufts students feel the same way."
Near said she agrees. As a Tulane student, she experienced the hurricane firsthand and knows many people who lost everything. "There have been a lot of fundraisers where the money is going to the Red Cross, and that's phenomenal," she said. "But I don't think that every fundraiser has to go through the Red Cross."
Near said she believes her business plan will be an ideal alternative. "A Tufts service project [is] a great way to contribute, not only a donation, but also to do something that's just as beneficial to the hurricane survivors and would be a great reflection on the school as a whole," she said.
Students who donate to the shoebox drive will know exactly who is receiving their aid, and all donations will reach the victims directly. "The supplies are going directly to those who need it now," Sharpe said. "Their efforts will not just sit in a warehouse for three months waiting for use. The time invested is minimal compared to the help it will bring those who need it now."
