More Grant County families enjoyed bountiful Thanksgiving dinners thanks to the Western New Mexico University Student Nurses Association, which assembled baskets of seasonal food and distributed turkey vouchers to residents in need.
“Each basket held an entire Thanksgiving meal — turkey included,” said Annabelle Evans, a member of the WNMU Student Nurses Association.
While the club has served Silver City in this way for several years, last year was the first they were able to provide turkey vouchers. And this year, they’re making an even bigger impact. They gathered enough food for more baskets than they ever had previously.
With the help of small businesses in the community, the WNMU Student Nurses Association was able to reach its goal of providing nearly $900 worth of assistance. “We are very proud of what we have accomplished and grateful for all of the help we received,” Evans said, noting that 10 businesses gave monetary donations toward turkey vouchers.
The Food Basket manager allowed the students to design and print vouchers, then he signed them for use in the grocery store. “I guess turkey vouchers aren’t a real thing. He was amazing and totally helped us out big time,” Evans said.
Members of the WNMU Student Nurses Association donated all the nonperishable foods, Evans said.
“The students put in a great deal of time and effort to ensure these families would not go without a meal this Thanksgiving,” she said. “I get chills thinking about how generous people were to help.”
The WNMU Student Nurses Association worked with area elementary school nurses and counselors, who distributed the baskets to families on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017.