by Ashley Spegel
Even the possibility of seeing a male professor wear a dress to class could not inspire the 355 business students to raise $350 for Ryerson’s Community Food Room.
Professor Mike Inglis promised his students he would wear a dress to class if they could raise $350 over three weeks. Unfortunately, only $250 was donated in his Finance 300 class.
“I’m relieved to not have to wear a dress,” Inglis said. “I guess I set a relatively stiff challenge. But $250 from a group of students was a pretty good contribution.”
Inglis’ wife Anne, who also teaches finance, initiated the incentive to encourage donations from students.
“Food banks are at an all-time low because of high gas prices,” she said.
“My family was planning to donate to the food bank this year and I thought we should expand and get students involved at Ryerson.”
Anne Inglis’s classes raised six boxes of food and $800 in cash donations. The money was used to buy groceries for three food banks: Ryerson’s Community Food Room, St. Paul’s Catholic Church Food Pantry and Yonge Street Mission.
Sue Cox, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, said these initiatives are important to raise awareness about hunger and poverty in our communities.
“The most important thing is getting the word out,” said Cox. “Part of our obective is to end the need for the food bank. In the meantime, we need all the helpe we can get.”
Shanta Nathwani is in Mike Inglis’s Finance 300 class and is disappointed her class didn’t meet the challenge.
“I really don’t know why so few students donated money,” she said. “I really thought we would make it … I think it’s deplorable that we couldn’t meet the challenge.”
Nathwani thinks more teachers at Ryerson should follow Inglis’ example.
“I do believe that professors should encourage students to get involved in fundraisers and participate themselves,” she said.
Ryerson’s Community Food Room offers non-perishable foods to those in need in the Ryerson community. As the weather gets colder, their need for donations increases.
“Thanksgiving is coming up and there are lots of people who need food or extra help at this time of year,” Mike Inglis said. “This was our way of giving back to the community.”
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