With the rise of COVID testing and vaccinations on campus, Marshall’s Rotaract club has decided to gather “COVID busy bag” donations for students quarantined in Holderby Hall.   

“We have had to think outside of the box this past year with our community service,” Kennedy McGraw, club president, said. “I came up with the idea because I remember talking to students who were quarantined on campus, and they would hate that they had to move out of their rooms without all of their personal belongings.”  

Marshall’s Rotaract club was created at the beginning of the 2020 Fall semester as an extension of the international Rotary Club and its community service mission.   

According to the Rotary Club, 10,698 Rotaract clubs around the world are currently working on service projects for their university or community. Within one week, the club collected enough donations to make 10-15 bags since they thought of the idea. 

The club hopes to receive enough donations to create bags every two weeks during the Spring semester.   

“We don’t have an official goal that we want to reach, but we will be pushing this project all semester long,” McGraw said.   

McGraw said the bags are only for Marshall students to limit contact with others.   

The club is requesting packaged snacks, adult coloring books, colored pencils, crossword puzzles, sudoku, pens, pencils and more.   

“I thought it was important for quarantining students to occupy their time besides watching Netflix, studying or staring at the wall all day,” McGraw said.  

After the club organizes the bags, Rebecca Pack, the club adviser, and some members from Marshall’s staff council will collect the bags and give them to students in the same routine as their scheduled meals.   

Donations can be dropped off at Drinko Library lobby throughout the spring semester. 

Xena Bunton can be contacted at [email protected].