The recent layoffs at the University has put those who are out of work in a difficult situation and members of the University staff have come together to help those in need.

Faith Olson, a fiscal officer for the college of education, has created Helping Hands, a program designed to assist laid off or displaced staff from the University who seek help in affording basic items.

Displaced workers are those who are moved from one classification to a lower classification due to a bumping process, she said.

The bumping process is set up by the University where employees gain points while they are employed with the school, she said.

If a job is lost or eliminated at the University, an employee with enough points can bump a person with fewer points if they fall into the same classification, she said.

In response to staff having their classification bumped down or being laid off, Olson, among others, decided to begin the Helping Hands program, to assist those who may need help financially.

The program began on May 14 with 14 people having used the services provided by the program. Currently, there are only five people using the program every month.

The items are picked up once a month at several University locations before they are moved to the Paulsen Room in Conklin where they are organized and placed together based on similarity.

The items are divided into two separate levels of donations that are acceptable for the program.

Level one items are broken down into hygiene, laundry, cleaning and baby products. The level one items include toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo and bars of soap among other items. Level two items include foods like boxed meals, crackers, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables.

From there, families who use the service come and take what they need, Olson said.

Food is not the only donation possible for people who are looking for an easier way to make a donation.

While cash is not accepted, gift cards are able to be donated for people using the service and have been very helpful because of the flexibility of using the cards for items that are not able to be dropped off, she said.

‘The gift cards have been very helpful to the people who come to pick up items on our distribution day, because then they can go and pick up items not listed on the distribution list,’ she said.

The programs beginnings coincide with the layoffs that began in May after Olson, who is former chair of classified staff, and other members of the classified staff council decided to help those who had been laid off.

The program will also branch out to administrative staff beginning Aug. 13 for those in the staff that have received non-renewal letters from the University, she said. Those who qualify will be eligible to use the services until they gain employment elsewhere.

For Olson the situation of struggling to afford basic items is not a new dilemma. Olson struggled to pay her way through college when she was younger.

‘There’s a stigma of embarrassment because you don’t have enough to eat,’ she said. ‘I just don’t think that any of our classified staff or displaced workers should go hungry, I know we’re not a permanent solution, we are a helping hands solution.’

Olson is not alone in helping those who have been struggling to make ends meet who have recently worked for the University.

Deanna Vatan Woodhouse, the assistant to vice president of student affairs, has helped with the planning that goes into the program. Woodhouse saw the program as an opportunity to work closely with the classified staff and to help those in need.

‘We need to support each other, and this was a chance for me to do so,’ she said.

While Woodhouse has helped with the planning involved with the program, others have helped to transport the items to their final destinations.

This role was done by Robin Bruning, food service coordinator at the University, who has helped to bring items from their collection site to Conklin. Once a month Bruning helps collect items from Williams Hall, the University library, and college park, among other locations and brings them to Conklin where they are sorted.

The program will also involve administrative staff beginning in August who have not had their contract renewed for the next school year.

Once those eligible have collected the items they need, any leftover material is donated to local food banks and non-profit organizations, Bruning said.

‘We start fresh every month so whatever items we have left are donated to local food banks, and Faith [Olson] takes care of that getting them to area non-profit organizations,’ she said.

While few people use the program, Paul Valdez, internal coordinator of major events at the University, believes the program is still useful and worthwhile having to help those in need.

‘I don’t think you can measure the success by quantity, you have to measure the success by providing the opportunity to seek help,’ he said.

Donatable Items Below is a list of some donatable items along with collection dates and drop-off zones Level One Items: Toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, toothpaste, bars of soap, feminine products, soap, softener, bleach, non-bleach brightener, dish soap, disinfectant wipes, diapers, and baby formula. Level Two Items: Condiments-ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, boxed meals, cereal, crackers, canned or powdered milk, canned meats, canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter and jelly, and Fido and Fifi food and pet supplies. Collection Dates: Aug. 10-13, Sept. 14-17, Oct. 9 and 13-15 Nov. 9-12 and Dec. 14-17. Distribution Dates: 9am-12p.m [Noon] at Paulsen Room in Conklin May 14, June 11, June 16, Aug. 13, Sept.17, Oct. 15, Nov. 12 and Dec. 17.