In an effort to prove “You don’t need God to be good”, the Freethinkers, Skeptics and Atheists at York (FreeSAY) will be hosting a food drive to support the North York Harvest Food Bank, the main supplier to Food4Thought, the York Federation of Students’ on-campus food bank.
The drive begins at 10am, Jan. 30, in Vari Hall and runs until 4pm daily until Feb. 3, with the exception of Feb. 2, when the group will move its collection point into the Vari Link.
All non-perishable food items are welcome, along with personal hygiene supplies and cash donations.
“There are several reasons why it is important for our club to organize this event,” said D’Arcy McNaughton, FreeSAY president. “A primary reason is that many food banks become stretched to their limits in the months following the December holidays. Donations are typically provided in abundance leading up to Christmas, but taper off quickly afterwards. In the weather and economic climate we are currently experiencing it is very important to help support our communities and help those in need.”
In addition to helping the hungry, McNaughton said there is definitely a public relations motive behind the effort. In a recent study conducted at University of British Columbia, atheists were found to be as distrusted, if not more, than rapists. “Opinions like this are very harmful to the growing body of atheists and agnostics in our society, and so we believe it is of great importance to demonstrate to our community that we are just as caring and concerned about its state,” McNaughton said.
FreeSAY at York was established five years ago and has regularly mounted events to promote its activities, such as tabling and holding movie nights.
For more information on FreeSAY, visit their Facebook page. You can join the group through YUConnect.