South West College students raise funds for Enniskillen Foodbank

A group of Level 3 BTEC Business students from South West College Erne Campus have raised £500 for Enniskillen Foodbank through a prize draw organised as part of their Event Management module.

The prize draw was supported by several local businesses with the top prize being a corporate box at the SSE Arena in Belfast for a Belfast Giants Ice Hockey game. The students were energised to focus their efforts on supporting the Enniskillen foodbank following recent media coverage and as part of their studies they have been learning about the difficulties facing many local families this Christmas season.

Celine McCartan, Principal and Chief Executive of SWC commented: 

“Community is at the heart of what we’re about at South West College. People are facing a huge challenge amid high living costs, and I would like to congratulate the students and the businesses who kindly donated prizes for the draw. This is another example demonstrating the college’s commitment to supporting the communities we proudly serve. Here at South West College we believe in the power of community and the impact that small acts of kindness can have on the lives of those in need. As part of our ongoing commitment to social responsibility, I am extremely proud with the success of this donation drive. This initiative not only embodies core values of compassion and empathy but also serves as a valuable lesson for our students about the positive change that can be achieved through unity and generosity.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to Enniskillen Foodbank for their incredible work in addressing food insecurity.  Together, let us continue to foster a culture of giving, compassion, and community engagement. We invite everyone to join us in making a positive impact, one donation at a time.”

Accepting the donation, John Shades, Enniskillen Foodbank Manager said;

“The Enniskillen foodbank is putting together 250 hampers which will be distributed to provide food for 1,000 people this Christmas and this money raised by the South West College students will go a long way in helping us put together these hampers.

We all know that things are a little bit tighter for a lot of people this Christmas so we reapply appreciate the support from the students and staff at South West College.

Gabriel Keown, Business Studies lecturer and module co-ordinator added;

“The Level 3 students were moved by the recent media coverage at the level of poverty in our local communities this year and wanted to help out as much as they could. This support for the Enniskillen foodbank demonstrates the awareness of our students to issues affecting so many during the festive season and I am proud of their commitment to this particular cause and their efforts in securing the prizes, co-ordinating the ticket sales and raising this tremendous amount of money.”