Tis’ the season indeed. The Student Outreach and Undergraduate Leadership program has put together a variety of donations for families in need this holiday season.

SOUL members have taken part in CSU’s fall clean-up, CSUnity, Cans Around the Oval and CSU Serves. The program, made up of undergraduate students in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Health and Human Sciences, is focused on serving the community. The club has been active at CSU for about seven years.

This Thanksgiving season members of SOUL kept a club tradition alive by fanning out into the community and asking a number of businesses for donations such as gift cards to help families in need. Jennifer Krafchick, an assistant professor in HDFS, is the program’s advisor.

“I really enjoy working with students, especially on this project,” said Krafchick. “It is incredibly rewarding.”

Krafchick works to identify families in need for SOUL to connect with as beneficiaries. The program maintains the families’ confidentiality. Most of the families are involved in HDFS programs such as Campus Connection (formerly Campus Corps) and the Center for Family and Couple Therapy, or are student families or families involved in CSU research programs.

“If a family needs food, we will provide them a Thanksgiving meal; if children do not have winter coats or gloves we will provide that as well,” said Sierra Ogbourne, president of SOUL. “Everybody’s situation is different.”

The group assembled packages of donations and sent them to three families last week.

“Each year the majority of SOUL’s financial donations come directly from the generosity of HDFS faculty,” said Krafchick.

Members of the CSU community are more than welcome to join SOUL in its efforts. To help, contact Krafchick via email at jen.krafchick@colostate.edu or by phone at 970-491-2171.