Nearly 1,000 packages of food for local families and a series of student-led service projects are highlighted in an October 20, 2026, community update from Utica University President Stephanie R. Nesbitt.

Nesbitt said she joined other community volunteers on Friday, October 16, to pack and load food through Chobani’s Let’s Eat Week initiative. The packages were intended for local families facing food insecurity, according to her message to students and colleagues.

Her account describes nearly 1,000 packages, rather than a count of individual recipients or households. It also looks beyond that event to the ways campus groups are working with community organizations this fall.

Utica University community service supports local needs

The university’s football team hosted the Mohawk Valley Challengers on Thursday, October 15, Nesbitt said. The local nonprofit provides flag-football opportunities for people with special needs.

Other activities described in the update include:

• Domestic-violence awareness: Chi Beta Sigma is holding events and activities to raise awareness and promote healthy relationships.
• Personal-care supplies: Sigma Gamma Rho and Women in a New Direction are organizing a drive for survivors staying in local women’s shelters.
• Beds for children: Construction management students and other students plan to volunteer with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which builds and delivers beds to children who need them.

Hockey teams plan additional efforts

Nesbitt also pointed to two upcoming hockey-related initiatives. The women’s hockey team plans a game supporting Morgan’s Message, an organization that encourages open conversations about mental health. The men’s team will again hold its Teddy Bear Toss with New York Sash to collect holiday toys for children in need.

The October 20 message did not give exact dates, collection locations or public sign-up details for those efforts. Readers interested in taking part should look for the individual organizers’ event announcements before making plans or bringing donations.

The update brings together work already completed and activities still being organized. Its common thread is practical help: food, personal-care items, beds, recreation and support for conversations about mental health.

Source: “Showing Up for Our Community,” Utica University, October 20, 2026. Featured image: original editorial illustration by Utica Phoenix, not a photograph of the food-packing event.