Western University Students’ Council (USC) traded in music and dancing for a different kind of campus party Monday. “Today we had what we call our sorting party,” said Wade Masse with Student Services at the USC. Dozens of students gathered to unpack and sort donated goods from Amazon. “We had about $80,000 in donations that were generously given to us, and they were kind of opening up boxes and then organizing it in a way that we could give to local charities throughout the city,” said Matthew Koopman, ambassador for Lionhearts Inc. The event marked USC’s first partnership with Lionhearts, a registered charity working to eradicate hunger and homelessness by collaborating with local retailers to receive goods and give them back to community members in need. “This is a really great opportunity for students and it creates a really good access point for them to be able to care in a direct and tangible way,” said Koopman. The student-run non-profit said it was excited to provide students with more opportunities to give back. “Students often times come to London from out of town, so it was really important to us that we made sure we contributed to the local community that’s so welcoming to us for eight months out of the year,” said Masse. Committed to fostering civic engagement, the USC has become one of the largest non-profits in London. “I think students really love giving back,” said Masse. “They may not have the money to donate, but what they do have is time, time to give,” added Koopman. Once sorted, items will be distributed to 40 agencies, in partnership with Lionhearts, across the city. “I think one of the best things you can have as a kid is race down the stairs on Christmas morning and open packages on Christmas but this is even better because you get to open those packages and know they were going to people in need,” said Koopman.
